


Old / New Love

by lillylanden



Category: Men's Football RPF, deledier - Fandom
Genre: Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Football, Football | Soccer, Friendship, Law School, M/M, Messy, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Relationship, Sex, Slow Burn, Studying, hidden insecurity, mention of past violence not graphic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-09-05 15:13:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 43,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16813195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lillylanden/pseuds/lillylanden
Summary: Dele doesn´t have his life sorted out in any sort of way, he is not even sure who he is or who he wants to be but here he is existing anyways. The only thing he is sure about is football and the rest will have to be sorted out along the way.





	1. Welcome

The group of people were walking towards them while the man up front talked about how a contract begins between a player and a club. It is such a simple thing, nothing that is ever a problem and it is so odd to hear someone give a lecture about it. The group stops in front of Eric and him and the man greets them.

“Is it okey if they ask questions?”

Eric nods in answers while Dele lets his eyes flicker over the groupe. They are no models no and he wishes Eric had said no so that they could get home. The questions are basic and boring anyways and he is not getting paid to do this.

His eyes fall on a girl wearing a pink, to formal, ill fitting dress with a note pad in hand. She is taking notes like a crazy woman and the blond hair is kind of messy and not well done. She looks to be younger than 20 but this sightseeing was for university students. Dele shakes his head and lets the subject drop he presumably heard wrong, why would university students have any interests in football plus it wasn´t like he listened with a lot of intrest this morning anyways.

“Well you are welcome back anytime!”

Eric waves and smiles silly as the groupe leaves, waking Dele up from his day dreaming.

“You couldn’t take even one answer Delboy?”

Dele shakes his head and jumps a couple of times.

“Lets go and get pizza”

“No, I’m tired, let’s get home and just eat pasta.”

“Thats healthy…”

“Healthier than pizza.”

“Yeah but not tastier.”

They got to the car and Dele took the passenger seat and placeringhiss det on the board, cheking throw the meggages, ignoring those from Ruby. Eric pats him on the kne asking:

“Yours or my place?”

“Yours, do you really think I would have food at home?”

“I hade hoped Ruby had smacked some sense into you.”

“No, you know, because she knows I am perfect as I am… And she is not trying to fix me.”

“No, except she is trying to change you as much as she possibly can.”

“Every woman does that.”

“Yeah, we should probably dump them and stick together instead!”

Dele giggles.

“But then you would have to pick up my dirty sock from the floor.”

Eric made a face and drove out of the parking space.

Del and Eric had always had a easy conversation flow and it only seem like they were getting closer and closer, they had had some problems just afer the World Cup, the defete pushing their moods down but they were back, as stong as ever and Dele couldn´t be happier. Their time appart had madde him even more touchy than originally which was okey exept when it wasn´t like when he had been al over Eric at the Googe Box filming. Dele shook his head, not wanting to think about that even if it was a good summery of their rlationship, they were good together and their girlfriends were both kind of anoid over the face that there attention was one each other and not them. Ruby and Dele still had not really managed to find there way back from an argument over just that fact. He wasn’t sure she wanted to…

^^^

Dele yawnd and snuggled into the cover. Eric lie snoring beside him and he couldn’t help himself from snapping a foto. They had fallen asleep playing fifa last night and he was still in yesterday’s clothes. Dele yawned again and rolled out of bed wearing the cover like a burrito.

Eric’s dogs were sleeping downstairs and one of them lifted his head and looked disapproving at Dele, he put his tongue out towards it. The kitchen was big and Dele didn’t feel like having to figure out how to get a coffee so he went directly to his jacket and keys. His car was parked in Eric’s driveway since yesterday morning when they had carpooled from here to work which made him leaving easier. He was nice enough not to wake Eric up and tell him he was leaving, instead leaving a note on the kitchen table.

His car smelled of Ruby’s lates perfume and he rolled down a window to get the smell out, a car is not supposed to smell of wild roses even if it was his own fault. He had pored it our in the back seat to make a point in an heated argument - which he had lost, possibly because of his ability to pour perfume.

Halfway home he saw a Pret A Manager shop and decided that a breakfast there could not be so bad, mabey getting something to bring back to Ruby to make her mood better before they would have to start the talk... again.

It was worm inside the shop and there was only some workers and two costumers. He went up to one of the fridges and started to check for something healthy.

“Oh sorry”

He had been occupied with his looking and had walked right into one of the other customers. No he backed away while meeting the women’s eyes. He realized to his own shock that it was the same girl as from the lecture at Tottenhams training ground. Her hair was still messy and today her clothes was a jumpsuit with a jacket ontop. It looked, once again, to formal.

She didn’t answere him but backed away bitting her lip while keeping an eye on the shelf as if she thought the worlds fate depended on it. He took it as an opportunity to check her out better. Meeting two times in two days, that’s fate, “love will find you” and all that.

She was very blond and had a heart formed face with a trubbed nose. Not even near the prettiest person he had ever seen but she stood out.

“What are you having?”

He asked while scanning her face. She gave him a quick look over before she turned back, no answer, he was going to repeat himself but ttok so long that she acually answered before he could.

“A salad”

Just that short answer and no question back. If there had been in a bar he would have taken the hint and left but somehow he felt like he wanted something more out of this conversation.

“I’m having an egg sandwich.”

He looked at her, expecting an reply, but of course, nothing.

“I saw you on the lecture yesterday.”

That seemed to catch her interested and she finally turned and actually looked at him with a spark of it in her cristal blue eyes.

“Which one?”

“The one at Tottenhams training ground, that lasted tree hours. Did you really have time to go to more.”

“I take as many as I can, you can never have to much knowledge.”

Dele nodded at those wisdom words but he could not think for a second that he willingly would go to anything related with school.

“So why were you there?”

He asked meeting her eyes relizing she wasn’t wearing any make-up.

“My mentor said it would be a good chance to get a weekend job later on. Apparently football demands a lot of workers.”

She seemed to have more to say but had stoped herself and was watching the shelf again.

“So what do you have a mentor for?”

She didn’t look like she wanted to answer but did it anyways. He wanted to know why but that seemed to be impolite to ask.

“I’m here as a study abroad year, I’m becoming a lawyer.”

“Where you from?”

“Emm, Sweden, I’m sorry I really have to go now.”

She didn’t take a salad and Dele realized she was bolting as fast as she could out the door. He wonder what scared her. With a shrug he grabbed a sandwich and went to the cashier.

“Excuse me!”

The other customer spoke. Dele have him a smile and asked the cashier for a coffee as well.

“Your Dele Alli right?”

Dele nodded and took a foto with the man before he paid for his breakfast and got into his car. After driving a few quarters he saw the chick walking on the road and he rolled down the window and slowed down the car causing a lot of noice behind. The girl looked absolutely baffled.

“I’m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself before. I’m Dele, can I have your number?”

She looked absolutely shocked and he found that to be both funny and a bit unnerving. What was wrong with her if nobody had ever asked for her number.

“I’m not scary, I actually have a girlfriend it is just that I don’t believe in coincidences and we have just meet two times in two days.”

He wanted to bang his head on the steering wheel, why would he say he had a girlfriend, how stupid was that. He cast a sidway look at her beeing ready to bolt but it seemed like she was smiling so he smiled while the cars behind him pressed on the honks.

“So, can I have you number?”

She roled her eyes and shock her head. Dele didn’t really know how to react, he didn’t know her so he wasn’t sad but in the same time it felt embarrassing, she was the ugliest girl he had ever asked for a number and she turned him down.

“If you believe in fate then I’m pretty sure you can wait until we meet a third time. You know, thirds the charm.”

She smiled polit as she said it and he relished she only sad it for his benefit. Dele made a grimace back and speeded up and left her, promising himself that that was the last time he would talk to her no matter if they saw in another a third time.

He was not going home to Ruby after this so he made a turn and drove home to Eric again.


	2. Small love

“One more!”

Ruby laughed and kissed him on the lips one more time, they had just had dinner and they were cleaning up the table, ERic and MAria was sitting at the dinner table making samll talk. Dele had frced them to come with him home, treatening he was never leaving erics bed otherwise and they had done it after work today. Al Deles plan to not have to be alone with Ruby, the reason beeing she had an imagine to upphold that they were and lovingcouple not two people how either agrued or had sex, they had not had sex in tree weeks. 

“Are you watching the game on Saturday?”

He asked, hoping she would say no even if right no with this nice version of her, he was full on attrackted to her. 

“Mabey, I have possibly a new gig and if that works out it will be my priority.”

He nodded and pulled her toward him. On her, the smell of wild roses were right know intoxicating. He pressed their foreheads together and whispered that he loved her in her ear. She smiled back and laced her arms around to his back, pressing their body’s together. He bent his neck and meet her lips, bitting in the bottom one. Her tongue found it´s way into his mouth and they began making out in a slow comfortabel pace.

”Hm…”

Eric coughed when he turned towards them and got up to put his and Maria’s dish in the dishwasher.

“I think we will be heading home no, work tomorrow and stuff.”

He scratched his skull and made a face towards Dele. Dele fellt the panick over having to be alone with RUby right no, just when everything was working out so well, apparently she felt the same. 

“We can prepare the guest room.”

She suggested, while moving away from Deles body and he relaxed without having to keep her supported.

“Nah, it is fine. Doesn’t want to ruin the moment.”

Eric waved in between them and turned to move back to Maria giving Dele a face that said: "it´s your shot to fix it!". Dele ignorde his advice and followed Eric outside mostely becouse beeing alone with RUby know was not a good idee even if this dinner had worked out but also because he didn’t want Eric to leave.

Out in the hallway Maria had already put on the outdoor clothing and she smiled at him and thanked for the dinner. He nodded in acknowledgement and placed an arm around Eric’s shoulders while telling her that they could stay here. She answered with a laughe and moved outside. Eric turned towards him and put both hands on Deles shoulders, pressing their foreheads together.

“See ya tomorrow Delboy.”

He whispered in Deles ear but they hugged like it was the last time they ever would. Dele clinging.

“Love ya!”

“Love ya too.”

Eric left and left emptyness behind. Dele stood there in the hallway, being in love with Ruby was easy when other people was in the house. She had a thing with making and remaining with an image and he happens to like they way she acted around him in front of people not the way she acted with him aalone, at least not as much.  
Dele shock his head, he knew that way of thinking wasn’t fair and it was the tiredness in his bones that spoke not his real thoughts about her but right now the tiredness was to much.

“I’m going out for a while.”

He yelled it down the hallway and he didn´t here and answere so he interpreted it as if it was okey, she was proppebly hoping he was going to be out the entire night. He waited in the hall for Eric car to start and drive away befor he headed out. Eric didn´t need to know how truly bad his and Rubys relationship was. Outside it was cold so he kept a steady pace to avoid getting a chill, Poch would be really pleased about that…. He walked with a goal in mind, one of the central parks of London, going there and back would be long enough for Ruby to be done and asleep. He didn’t want to dwell about why he wanted that, he did love her sometimes like earlier today.

The park was the goal, but on the way there he passed a library. In one of those windows he saw her. The law student, the girl from the shop. He stopped dead in his tracks. Tree days tree meeting. This actually had begun to feel odd, he wondered if she was staking him. That thought didn’t scare him as much as it should. He backtracked and went into the library. First time to enter such a building willingly by own accords. He thougte about demanding an apploud from the girl when he got there.  
Finding the row he had seen her in was harder than he had imagined and when he finally did she was gone. He didn’t know if that was a good or a bad thing, after all she had rejected him. He turned to walk back outside when a voice stopped him.

“Dele?”

Disbelief. He turned and there she was. Today the hair was badly put up in a bun and the clothes was a blouse and jeans. Still no make-up. He took a step forwards she didn´t back away looking absolutely shocked and he couldn’t help but smile broad at her, to his surprise she returned the smile.

“Thirds the charm right?”

He asked which made her giggle, the sound so unexpected that he dropped dead in his tracks savoring the sound. She shook her head and turned around and disappeared between the shelf’s. Thinking that she was bailing again he rushed after but she had just gone after her bag and the books she had been reading. They looked impossible boring. He came up to her watching while she turned some notpads over, hiding what she had been writing.

“I’m Astrid.”

Dele smiled at her sliding down in one of the chairs, unbelievably happy over just getting her name. She, now a bit more hesitantly, sat down beside him foddeling with a strap on the bag. There they say quiet for a while, he was just looking at her oddness and wondering what she was thinking about, actually she was the one to break the silence and he wonder if she wasn’t as scared as she seemed yesterday.

“So what was it that you studied?”

“What?”

“Eh, why were you at the lecture yesterday?”

She was smiling while asking and he felt confused, she didn’t know that he was a football player… of course she didn’t know, she was from Sweden… but she had been on the lecture yesterday, if she didn´t know anything about football why had she been on the lecture? 

“I’m sorry if that question was inappropriate.”

She was looking a bit confused and her eyes was starting to flicker again. He realized she was looking for an escape rout again, fast before she could run of he answered:

“No, it’s fine. I just don’t know how to say this.”

“You don’t have to. Have you read this one, it is really good. It is about…”

Dele stopped her before she would make him fall asleep:

“No it’s fine, just promise to not freak out.”

She gave him an exciting once over, nodding.

“I’m a professional football player, you interviewed me and another yesterday.”

“Oh, god, I’m sorry.”

“For what”

“For being ignorant and uneducated, I should have recognized you right away. God, did this ruin my chanses for a job at the club?”

Dele opens his mouth, blinked, and then laughed while shaking his head.

“I think you actually have to apply for a job before you have a chance of being rejected.”

“I have applied for like twenty!”

“Oh, sorry!”

He smiled while scanning her face and she smiled back.

“No, it doesn’t make your chance of getting a job less, mabey I, instead can put in a good word for you.”

“I would like that ver much, if it’s not to much trouble of course.”  
She seemd to consider and then continued:  
"No, you really don´t have to. That was really inappropriate we don´t even know each other."

“It´s no problems adn I think we are very familiare Astrid, we have for tre days acually had a very active meting scedule. I will get you a job no worries.”

She looked at him as if she now was wonderign if e was mad. Maybe he was mad, this accually if you thougth abput it was kinda odd but he ignored the thinking and focused on her again.

“Your English is very good, I would not have been able to tell that it wasn’t your mother tongue.”

“Thank you but it’s not that good, I am so after in school it’s embarrassing.”

He laughed and she meet his eyes smiling carefully. She wasn´t pretty no but here eyes were very intriguing. SAdly they only had eye contact for a very short while before she turned away and stared looking at the books on the table again. Bringin her focus back to him by saying: 

“You better give me your number so that I can call if I manage.”

She lifted her glance and smiled reashing out to take his outreached phone.

“I would have given you my number anyways. You know, since I promised yesterday.”

“That’s dope.”

She smiled again and chewed on her bottom lip seeming to make an decision. 

“But then I really have to get back to studying but it was really nice taking to you Dele.”

He wasn´t very pleased with her dicision but she had given him her number and that was always somehting. 

“That´s okey, It was lovely taking to you to Agnes, I will defenetly call you and see ya tomorrow.”

She laughed while waving him goodbye turnign back to the books.

^^^

“We’re have you been!”

Ruby started yelling as soon as he closed the door and he couldn’t help but to role his eyes while sliding out of his boots and jacket.

“I was out, as I said I would be!”

“I thought you would be gone at most ten minutes, not half the night. Didn’t you have work tomorrow.”

“Well, yes.”

“Dele if you are doing Eric just tell me. We can have an open relationship I don’t care, which you do know. Al this sneaking around is maddening!”

Dele was not sure why she desided they were having that discussion today but it wasn´t his choice anymore so he went with it. 

“How says that I’m doing Eric, what if he is doing me?!”

“Well I don’t care but you are not sleeping in my bed tonight, maybe never again.”

She started to turn around.

“It’s not your bed and don’t act like you haven’t been looking for a reason to end our relationship. You are only here for the publicity!”

She turned around, the color high in her cheeks.

“No I’m no,t believe me or don’t. I don’t care but just so you know. If, IF I was here for the publicity it would have been a waste of my time because no publicity is worth having to deal with al your messes and your fucked up life. The only thing good about you is your income, the rest is shit. And I feel sorry, sorry for Eric how hasn’t realized yet how horrible and egotistical you actually are.”

Dele opend his moth, closed and opend again. His brain was over heating so he went back to the basic knowing that that wasn’t very good of him.

“Well your a whore, don’t act for a moment that you are better than me.”

“I don’t but I, at least, have the good sense to be truthful to myself. You are not even that, are you?”

Dele ignored her comments and walked past her towards on of the guest rooms. He didn’t know what he was supposed to feel but he was very certain that it wasn’t nothing, like he was feeling. He wanted to drive over to Eric and hide under his cover again .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two, once again sorry for my errors, one chapter of introduction left and then the rolercoaster can begin.


	3. Roommates

Dele aimes the dart and it flew ture to its course and ended up in the middle of the dart board. Around him people began to cheer. They were out celebrating something Dele didn´t rremember or didn´t care about. He was a bit to drunk, which was stupid and he was a bit to mad which was refreshing. He and Ruby had still not talked and they moved around in the house as if the other person didn´t exist, she becaouse no matter what she said she gained fame by beeing with him and he because his reputation at the moment would not be able to handle a break up plus he was sentemental and didnt want to end anything but it was horrible beeing at home. Eric had noticed, of course he had noticed and he had aloud Dele to use his guestroom for as long as he needed. Today though, Eric and Maria had date nate and Dele didn´t want to intrude so when Winks had suggested to celebrate the thingy he had agreed. Now Winks was of course nowhere to be seen and Dele had had to many cocktails. Luckely no training tomorrow. Sadley still no place to crash tonight. He took a new dart and a new aim but this time the dart hit the wall instead, some buues followed him as he walked away. The DJ changed song and he folowed a group out on the dance floor not dancing so much as moving with the flow.  
"Hey"  
A girl had grabbed his upperarm and moved with skill to the music while keeping eye contact. He grabbed her back and started to follow he movements smiling at her. She smiled back and turned around to fit his body against her own. She smelled of warmth and sweat. They moved for a while, his hands scanning her body. This was really stupid and then some more stupid. He hadn´t had a one night stand since that stupid sex video had been leaked and it hadn´t been something he had regretted but this woman feelt very good against him and he was very sure that he wanted whatever she would give him.  
Softly turning her around, pulling her closer, letting his hands slip a bit to low and scqueezing her butt, pressing her into him, whispering:  
"Should we go somewere?"  
"Mine?"  
He only nodded, wonderd if that was a very good idea but someone tripped, pressing there bodys together closer and he was lost. They made there way outside, touching, kissing, laughing and grouping. There were taxis just outside which was an relief and he got into one dragging her with him. She gave an adress he wasn´t listening to becuse of the importance to leave marks on her neck. They kept kissing during the entire ride and when the car finally stopped his lips was sore and acing making the money excange a perfect break before going at it again.  
They stumbled while walking up the stairs, both to drunk to manage to stop the world from spinning. Outside hehome they stopped and stuck tongues down each others throts. She got the keyes up and opened the door. They kept kissing, started to strip and suddenly they were in bed rolling around and then he was inside her.

^^^  
The morning came earlier than expected and he was woken up by and alarm he didn´t recoginze. When he reached out to turn it of his hand collided with a warm body. He sat up in bed. There was a girl beside him, naked.. he was naked. Making and angry sound he tumbled out of bed finding his boxers, pulling them up. A quick look back at the sleeping girl, a scan over the room and he left it only to enter out to one of the smallest kitchens/livingrooms he had ever seen. He searched it looking for his pants, finding them on a chair. He pulled them on fast thankfull for the stretch and started looking for his phone.  
"Dele?"  
He turned around and dropped his chin.  
"Astrid?"  
Her blonde hair was curly and hanging down to her midriff, she was wearing only a T-shirt on which it stood "Friends not Food" on.  
"What are you doing here?"  
She sounded like she had been up for houres but looked like she had just woken up.  
"Do you want coffe?"  
"What?"  
"Well I presume you are here because you are Jackies newest hit and after having to spend that long with her everybody needs coffee. Thanks for keeping me up last night by the way."  
"What?"  
"Aåå, yeah, ååå, yeah, so good, do that again, åååå:"  
He couldn´t help but blush which made her laugh. She went passed him and started making coffee which made him belive that she had decided for him that he was staying for coffee.  
"You live here?"  
"No, I´m here as a one night stand aswell!"  
Dele opend his mouth closed it propably looking like a fish and she started laughing again after looking at him.  
"No, just joking, you should have done this yesterday so that we would have keept our record."  
Dele smiled, yeah, their record was broken, 4 meetings in 5 days. He looked around, the decor was very... not personal... and there wasn´t really any clues to who she was. Astrid placed a cup infront of him and sat down on a chair besid him pulling up her legs.  
"So, how´s your life going?"  
Dele raised an eyebrow and she smiled broad at him taking a sip from her own cup.  
"It´s fine, a bitt messy with my girdlfriend at the moment."  
She nodded, her gace drifting to the windows looking outside. The silence didn´t seem to bother her, it seemed like she was just beeing quiet because you are that sometimes. Dele had never liked the quiet, he liked moving around, high noices, many people but quiet with her seemed to be something you had to accept.  
"You know I got you a job?"  
Her head turns quick as lightning.  
"What?"  
"Yeah, I was going to call you today but now I don´t have to."  
"Omg! That amazing, thank you so much!"¨  
She had otten up from the chari and was jumping around, clapping her hands. He could clearly se her panties but looked away like a gentleman.  
"Wait, how did you do that? Don´t I have to go to an interview and stuff or at least sign some papers?"  
She had come back to reality and sat down looking at him carefully. "Nah, they are not signing over the entire buissness to you."  
He joked about it but her face didn´t make any movement to agree with him that he was funny he was quick to correct his sayng:  
"You have to sign a contract of course but we can do that tomorrow and they said you could start directely."  
"I have school."  
"I know, it´s an on of a kind jobb, there are more people working with it and it is very easy to shift the worktimes around."  
She smiled again, the joy coming back.  
"Okey, tell me about it, and btw I owe you one."  
Dele nodded, making sure he would remember because he had a feeling he was going to need that payback and then he started telling her about the jobb which meant he had to start explaining football to her. Apparently she believed it to be: Two teames chasing after a boll untill time was up. Well football is kind of that but in the same time no, no, no. He begunn to start expaining it to her. She was a very good listener and Dele found that he just keep talking and talking and talking. 

"Eh.."  
He jumped at the sound and turned around, the girl he had slept with was standing in panties in the door looking at them with an open mouth. Dele opend his mouth to say something aswell but Astrid was quicker.  
"Do you want coffee Jackie?"  
The girl rasied an eyebrow but nodded and bent down to pick up a shirt to put on before comming forward and handing him his phone. She looked embarrassed and didn´t know what to say which made Dele feel insecur so he turned towards Astrid to beg her to start talking. Of curse she didn´t.  
"You know that usually the one night stand should have left before the homeowner wakes up?"  
Jackie whisperes it to him and shifts her head towards the door, trying to make him leave, he figures it is probably best if he does. So he gets up from the chair nods towards her and goes to were Astrid is to put his cup down.  
"So see ya tomorrow?"  
She lookes up and smiles at him while nodding.  
"You can stay until a cab comes."  
"Nah, it´s fine. I don´t think your roommate wants me here."  
Astrid smiles and nods in agrement.  
"Then I will see you tomorrow mr Alli"  
"Yes you will, you shuold probably have studied up on every players name to then though."  
She nodds again and gived him a smile.  
"I´ll pick you up?"  
Thats a question and he gets nervous she will say no but she just nods again. Which makes him smile when he says goodbye and while waving at Jacki how lookes confused.  
Outside the appartment its colder and he hurries to picks up his phone and dial Eric.

^^^  
"Where is your shirt?"  
Eric asked when he pulls over and Dele opens the door, shaking his head as answere before folding the chair back and falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for errors, hope you are al enjoying the story! I´m so exited for the next chapter and I don´t even know fully what it will contain yet.!


	4. Excitment

**we have to talk**

Ruby had sent it yesterday but he had ignord it until now, 4 in the morning.

**okey, about what, I thought we were pretty clear the last time..**

He didn´t expect her to replay so when she did he felt a bit bad. They were afer all to people in the relationship and he was beeing a bit of an as. 

**About what we intend to do, we can´t go on like this. I do truly love you but it feels like niether of us are acually figthing for this.**

Dele wrote back that he agreed and that the situation wasn´t working out. He wanted to fix teir problems and he needed to get home, right now he was wearing Erics clothes and they were horrible. Very confortable and amazig to sleep in but it was embarassing beeing seen outside with them. She wrote:

**Can you come over tonigth?**

As a answere he sent her a thumb up. 

Then it was back to sleeping again and since that was the only thing he had done yesterday it was quet difficult. But of course, as always sleep always comes creeping. This time ten minutes before ha had to get up, which was a bit annoying. 

"Are you up man?"

Dele open the door as response and draged his feet after himself down stairs.

"I will meet Ruby tonight."

"Okej, have you decided what you want do do yet?"

"I love her."

Eric sighed and pulled a hand trow his non existing hair.

"I know mate, this is going to sound really cheese bur bare with me. You know how they in romantic movies and stuff also always say that but the other one replays with _yes but are you IN love with him_ , and mate, you clearly are not!"

"Are Maria making you watch like the _Nootbook?"_

Eric nodded and put an arm around Deles shoulders, dragging him down.

"Let´s get to work an then worry about Ruby and your very missed clothes."

Dele nodded and went to pour himself some coffe.

"Where are the coffe?"

"I havn´t made any."

"Why?"

"Dele, I never make coffe, thats Maria and she is not here today."

Dele made a disapointed sound and reached for his phone.

"We can by on the way to work."

"We have to pick up Astrid to."

"How?"

"A girl from the lecture 6 days ago?"

"I thougt you said al of them people there were ugly."

"They were."

Ecrig shrugged and picked up his car keys gesturing for Dele to go first.

"If we are picking her up then we get coffee for her two and if you truly belived al of the people on the lecture were ugly then Ruby acually has manage to spinn you around her fingers."

"Well Ruby is hot so they had a lot to live up to."

He took the passager seat again and when they left Erics house behind he turned up the radio to over healthy level. Eric turned it down again. They drove while chattign about everthing and nothing and Eric made at least tree bad cheese jokes before they stoped outside Attendant Fitzrovia and Dele got in to get tree coffees. He had emptied his own before they stoped outside Astrids appartment house.

"Dude, is this the chick you had sex with?"

Eric looks both choked and confused but Dele just shakes his head and texts Astrid that they are outside. 

"Do you know that this place is connected to the University of Westminister?"

"Yeah, Astrid is becoming a laywer."

He stopes because she came out of the door with a backpack and a tight dark green dress under a black coat. She looked so very formal while looking at the clothes and then f you looked up to her face with no make-up, well it confused the entire look just like the hair. She opend the passenger door and slid in in the back seat. She said hey and intrduced herself to Eric like that was no big deal, like Dele hadn´t had to wait and fight an eternity to get he name. He ignord that and said hey while giving her a coffee she looked happy about getting.

"So, your studying law. How does that work?"

She just said some small sentences about it before she turned the question back and they talked for the entire ride over to the training grounds. Dele joind in the conversation now and then but mostely he listend wondering how Eric and Astrid could work together in an instant like that. She had been so comlicated for him and usually it was the straight opposite. He was the one people warmed up to easy and Eric was the one they were hesitant about. To him that only proved Astrids intressting oddness. 

^^^

They had reashed the training grounds and had gone out of the car. Eric was heading to the chainginroom while Dele was showing Astrid to the place were she would sign the job papiers. He was going to come with her in but she asked him not to saying that even though he had been very helpfull she had to do this herself and that she feelt bad for using him to get a job again. he reasured her again that it was okej and then waited outside until she came back, smiling. In her hands she was holding a contract which she after showing him put in her bag. 

"I will start today and work this week throw and throw after that only weekends and days that I can fit in in between."

Dele smiled back and offered her his arm while escorting her to were she was going to start, after that he had to run to training because he was late...

^^^

The training was brutal and every muscle he had was acing when they got into recovery but he was hungery so he only grabbed an icebag and followed Harry to the diner. They were joking and in a quiet good mood, they had just won against Chelsea and they were facing Inter now on Wednesday. Harry was talking about the newest member of his family and Dele as smiling while listening. He loved Ivy but Vivienne was still a bit scary last time he had seen her she had puked al over him and Eric had bullied him for it for what feelt like forever. Now Harry was telling a story about how she loved sleeping in between the dog holding Bradys tail and sucking on Wilsons ear like a pacifier. He had a video and Dele watched it while they sat down and started eating. Before the video ended he could here Katie in the background yeeling to him to take away the baby before her bely was filled with hair and if it did become full of hair that she wasn´t driving to the hospital or explaining to anyone what happend. Kane took his phone before Dele could here his answere.

"No nutmeg today Delboy!" Eric hit him in the back of his head befre sitting done with Eriksen and Winks.

"He is starting to get old, give him a rest Eric." Son laugh.

"Well if I´m getting old then you al are going into retirement."

Winks laughed at that and the rest looked at him with the same face grownups use then talking to a young child they don´t think understands. Dele shrugged and smiled sweetly. It was acually a bit true exempt from the fact that is wasn´t. He started poking around in his sallad, there were ananas in it.

"There was an new inturn in rehabilitation, she was from Sweden."

Christian sounded happy and Dele tried not to let it show in his face that he knew her, knewing that it could make it hard for her here amongst colleagues. Eric didn´t consider that:

"Yeah, thats Deles new chick, he is so in love with her that he dumped Ruby over it."

"What, you and Ruby are done?"

"I know"

"Stop, no we are not, you knew?"

Christian nodded saying that she told him before and that he made sure to place Dele in a very bad light because he really liked her and thought she deserved better, plus he was tired of having to talk english al the time. 

"Are swedish and danish the same language?"

"No but we understand each other."

"So are you going to leave Sabrina for her to?"

Eric joked and pushed Christian in the shoulder, Christian rolled his eyes.

"Yes, because Sabrina does not speak danish?"

A wave of laugther passed throw them.

"No but for real she must be very hot to make you leave Ruby, or very good in bed..."

Winks pushed the subject and Dele gave Eric a face for bringing up the conversation.

"Me and Ruby are not done and thats an end to this discussion."

He said it loud and a lot of people sitting by other tables truned around, Jan shouted that that was good for him and Dele gave him the middle finger. 

"Dele" Eric whispered quiet to him placing a hand on his tight to make him relax, which worked. Dele leand back placing a hand over Eric as a thank you. The rest of the dinner they keep to light, easy, small talk.

^^^

Ruby was wearing the tightest dress Dele had ever seen when she opened the door for him, she was wearign so much make-up that he new it would ruin his shirt if he hugged her, but he could not help it she looked dashing. 

"I have made daal."

He nodded and walked after her into the diner table it was odd, he felt like a guest in his own house, she had bougth a new couch. 

"So how was training today?"

He answered good and looked at her, understandning hat she was nervouse. He was to but this pretend thing they did right no, that maddend him.

"Let´s just dive right into it Ruby, no dancing around the problem."

"I think we should ceep a public relationship but let go of the rest. I have already purchades a new appartment and I will be movin in there tomorrow. It´s in my sisters name, I have also packed al of my things and they are in the other hallway."

Dele didn´t answere, ha had his suspicions about that she only wanted him for fame but it still hurt to here it from her.

"What would I get out of a fake relationship Ruby?"

She sat down lookiing serious at him.

"You could be with eric without anyone holding you back but still be protected from suspicious fans and jounalists."

He opend his mouth, on his way to tell her that he and eric wasn´t acually screwing but closed it again, not really knowing why. 

"Of course we would still have to meet sometimes, you would have to get me tickets to some games and we would have to do some shopping but I think we are working best in those senarious so I don´t think that will be a problem. "

She looked up at him, waiting for an answere, he looked back at her, thinking about Eric saying somthin about the diffrence between feeling love and beeing in love. His mind went further thinking about Erics hand on his thigth earlier today. He stretched out a hand, which she took, they shook. 

"So, do you want dinner?"

She got up from the chair moving to get the pot from the hell, he nodded and picked up his phone. Feeling like he could finally relax.


	5. Arsenal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arsenal vs Spurs, the game felt very emotional for Dele so it felt like a wast to leave it out. Hope it wasn´t to messy...

Theye were walking into the pit, the importance and the weigth of the moment making them walk tall and straigh, they had won against Inter on Wednesday and were no facing Arsenal, a London derby. Dele knew they could win. 

The week had gone perfect, he had moved back home and had no longer to borrow Erics clothes. Training went good and he was acually happy, he knew they would win.  
When Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored the first goal in the tenth minute he felt a flicker of doubt, but they would win and Eric took the first step to ensure that. Dele watched him knock Eriksens ball into the back of the net then run to celebrate by hushing the Arsenal fans. The others reched him and Dele to, pressing a hand to Eric chest to show him how grateful Dele was, they were going to win this.  
Eric did notice and he pulled Dele with him back towards there half to keep playing but Dele looked back and saw that a fight had erupted, the though of anyone gettign hurt made him rush there. Those arsenal supporters could apperantly not handle anything. He got in the middle of it, hearing Kane tell them to back. An arsenal player from the bench started bitching and Dele couln´t help himself from returning the favour. In return the man grabbed him and started pulling him towards the benches. They where yelling at one another and Dele barely noticed what happend around him, he heard Eric yell his name, he felt somene pull him and suddenly two arsenlas had pulled him out of the crowed, someone was holding him from the back, stopping him from fighting back but he could still talk and he knew he sad som pretty bad things. Eric was there pulling them appart, so was Moussa Dembele and Jan. Dele could here the blood boil in his head, feel the adrenaline give him everything he needed to start hitting but Eric manage to get him out and pulled him away from the crowed. His shirt had been teared and he tried to turn to smack some sense into the person how had done it but Eric stoped him. He could se the fight calming down without him in it, he could se Harry convincing Poch to move away. He turned towards Eric feeling the dredd settle over him. What had he just done? He had promised himself to take a chill.  
Eric saw his dispare and pressed there forheads together, telling him that it would be okey. The next second Eric had gotten a yellow card. Dele wanted to kick the judge.  
Luckely they could al leave those problems behind when Kane got a penalty goal and concluded half time in favour of Spurs. 

They walked pleased but furious of the pitch. Inside the dressing room Astrid handed him a pack of ice without saying anything, just moving on giving out ice and looing at scratses along the way. She was dressed in Tottenham gear and the hair was done high, she loooked calm and collected, like this wasn´t one of the most important games of this half of the season. A second later he relized she propably didn´t even know that it was. Poch did and he was furious but Dele knew it wasn´t at them but at the dickheads of Arsenal players that was in the dressing room beside. They had to win this, they would win this.  
Eric sat down beside him, placed a hand on Deles tight is was a smothering gesture but Dele didn´t want to calm down so he shook it of. Eric moved it to his shoulder.  
"Dele, you have to calm down. You are already on thin ice with the jugdes and we al know the fight would never had been that big if you wouldn´t have gotten involved."  
He whispered, Dele could feel Erics nose pressed agains his ear, he leand into Eric and closed his eyes. Trying to calm down. Eric took the ice pack from him and pressed it to his head.  
"Don´t let those fuckers get into your thick head mate."  
Dele nodded and got up in time for Poch to start giving out lectures about what to do better. it wasn´t so much, they had after al beaten Chelsea and they had al the capability they needed to win this too.

^^^

Arsenal had scored to many times, Dele was beeing taken of the pitch and he hurried to be replaced, his leg hurt and he knew they needed new blood. The disappointment were heavy in his pit and he went straight down to the dressing rooms knowing that, no, they were not going to win. Inside, where no cameras was. He kicked a bench so that it flew into a looker and then he turned around and punshed the wall, creating a big buckle.  
"Dele"  
He turned around, Alice looked absolutely shooked and when he took a step towards her she backed away. Understanding that she was afraid of him he held up his arms with palms towards her.  
"Sorry, we´re losing."  
She hesitantly takes a step forward extending a hand aswell. Dele takes her hand but instead of calming her down like he should he pulles her in and buries his head in her hair, she smells like a person without perfume and he starts to weep. It´s not pretty tears, no, he is full out sobbing into her shoulder holding onto her like his life depends on it. She holds him back and he can feel her hands in his hair. When he finally gets back on the ground, not knowing how long he has been occupied with his own pafetiv feelings he releases her and wipes the tears away. She is still holding his wrists, he expects to se pity or resentment in her eyes but they are just calm and steady, meeting his own.  
"I´m sorry."  
He whispers talking about the tears.  
"Well, yeah, I wont lie for you, you will have to pay for the wall and furniture."  
Dele lookes at her again, wonders if she really can be so unbotherd by his tears. She acually seemes to be and he, suddenly feeling the pain in his leg sits down on the floor. She disappears and comes back with a man from the doctor squad. The docter examines him and before he is done the rest of the group enters, al looking devestated and ruind. He sees Astrid moving around, doing her work, he followes her movements and jumps from her to Eric when she passes him. Eric comes forward and sits down on the floor.  
"You okej?"  
Dele nods and moves his foot. Eric lie down on the floor and after a moment Dele follows him, the roof is white and has presumably not been cleaned in a very long time. Eric takes Deles hand and squeezed, Dele squeezes back, swearing at Son for dropping water on his head.


	6. Life chatches up

Eric had been charges together with the club for the fight a the Arsenal game and he hadn´t returned Deles calls since he found out, they hadn´t talked durign training and they hadn´t talked during the game againt Southampton, he kept to himself and they let him. Eric had this way of putting up a tuff charade and he didn´t like them coming poking in his softer sides, which they accepted and avoided doing. Dele, how was a bit agnery with Erics way of acting, was right now sitting in Harrys car outside Astrids university wating for her classes to end. Katie had made dinner tonight and since Eric was avoiding him, Ruby only was an option when they could be spotted together and Harry was away, that left Astrid. Not that that was bad, except for when they had to wait for her.  
The music on the radio was okey so he turned it up, Harry didn´t turn it down.

People started coming out the building and it wasn´t hard spotting Astrid in a ligth blue a-line dress. She moved towards the parking place surveying the cars, her eyes passing over Harrys car a couple of times. Dele relized she didn´t know he wasn´t picking her up in Eric like he used to so he opend the cardoor and waved at her at the same time a guy reased her. He grabbed her arm and she turned towards him, he could see them talking but decided to go out and say helo, he was after al a friend and she already knew many of his, it was only fair that he meet some of hers.  
"Astrid!"  
She turned towards him and her face brigtend up.  
"Hey love, how was work today?"  
He slowed down, unsure about her answere scanning her face for information but it was only pure happines and when he reached her she put an arm around his wast smiling up at him before turning to the guy.  
"Jack, this is my boyfriend."  
"Oh, Hi, I´ve heard so much about you. Your working at an volentar center for lost puppies right."  
"eeeh, yeah.."  
Dele looked down at her really wanting an explonation, he was sure that it would keep them entertaind for the entire night, possible for longer.  
"We better get going know, don´t want Harry to wait and al."  
She sad, patting him on the chest. Dele nodded but the guy interrupted.  
"We are having a dorm party on friday, it would be very nice if you and Astrid would show up."  
"Jack thats very nice but..."  
"Ofcourse we will come!"  
"Sick!"  
They fist bumped like they had known each other in an eternity before Jack walked of. Dele turned to Astrid giving her a raised eyebrow. She acually looked a bit embaressed, pulling him with her to the car. Inside she started with a let my explain phrase and Harry wanted to know what there was to explain which Dele did tell him. That explanation took the entire ride home to Harry and when they entered they had to explain it to Katie to, which Harry did while Dele said helo to Vivenne and Ivy, the latter playing with dolls in the living room.

Astrid was walking around with a parted moth looking at the room decor, Dele could understadn her, this was far of the look of the apartment she was living in. She stoped infront of a painting and hugged herself. He got up and went over to her.   
"This is beatiful"  
Dele looked at teh paintign, it was alot of lines and if you put some energi into it you could see a woman. he didn´t find it so beatiful but her aw was intriging. She looked so very... Dele shook his head.   
"Thats a copy of one of Monets painting."  
Katie had reasched them.  
""Woman with a parasol rigth?"  
Katie nodded and wonderd if Astrid was intrested in art she replide with a little bit. Dele found the conversation to be a bit boring.  
"So, why was I your boyfriend to that Jack guy?"  
Astrid rolled her eyes adn appoligised.  
"He was coming on to hard about liking me so I lied and said I had a boyfirend. I obviously didn´t believe me and kept on pushing so I kept on puching the picture and now, just precisely, he was going to ask me out so you came swoping in in the exact rigth moment."  
"Why didn´t you just tell him you wasn´t intrested?"  
Katie asked with a smile in her voice, Astrid roled her eyes.  
"Because in my experience boys only think you are playing hard to get then you answere like that."  
"Thats true."   
Katie agreed and showed the way to the dining room. Everybody else sat down directely but she walked around the room, checking out the paintigns and the design.  
"So, what do you do Katie?"  
"I work as a fitness professor and I am a bit involved as a beatuy instructer, designer helper."  
"Åå, thats intresting, are you designing rooms aswell?"  
Astrid swooped her arm around the rom and Katie nooded in return.At last Astrdi finally sat down and thye could start eating, Dele was so hungery his belly was screaming. During the meal Katie and Astrid kept an confterabal amount of small talk going and Dele was once again wondering how she could have it so easy fitting in with everyone. He was quiet sure even Ruby would like her if he made an introduction. 

They had moved on from dessert and was sitting watching the telly as Astrid started yawning. She acually looked very tired and was looking on her phone with half closed eyelids. He moved from were he sat to down beside her, putting an arm around her.  
"Are you tired?"  
SHe looked up nodding, then whispering, again, that she was sorry for earlier today Dele replid hat it didn´t matter and that thanks to it he knew were he would go this friday.   
"You have a game on Saturday."  
She whisperd back, apparently not thinking it was a good ide going partying with him.  
"it will be fine. COme on, it will be fun and it would defenetly shut up that Jack dude."  
"She pressed her lips together then shook her head.   
"No, i´m telling him the truth tomrrow, I feel really bad for pullig you into a lie and I don´t really feel very good going around lying either."  
Dele opend his moth to tell her that that was stupid but he was to slow because Katie had already said that that was a good choise. Astrdi smiled at that ans patted Dele on the leg saying loud that she was heding home. Dele offered to drive before relizing that he didn´t have a car and everybody lagued before she said she was okey with taking the bus. He followed her out. 

They walked in scilens to the bus stop. There Dele said with a quiet voice:  
"We can still go on friday."  
"Yes, but I warn you, I´m not really good at parties."  
"Everybodie is good at parties, esecially if they are there with me."  
She lauged and hugged him before stepping on the buss.

^^^

He had not manage to get anyone else intrested in going to a dorm party where they could with no problem be recognized and taken photos of. So here he was alone wating for Astrid and appperantly Jacki in a car outside there appartment. he had had to borrow the car from his neighbor, because coming in a million dollar car to a party like this didn´t work out. They came out in tiny dresses and he was a bit in chock over seeign Astrdi with mascara, sure it was JUST mascara but her eyelashes were ususally so brigth that you couldnt se them adn now then you could they were long and he found himself uncapable to stop looking. Astrid sat in the front seat beside him and Jackie took the back.  
"Hej Dele"She said it in a flirtatios voice, apparently having figured out how he was now.   
"The sex was a one time thing."  
He said ift directely, not wanting her on him tonight, his eyes flickered to Astrid. SHe had her phone up while bitting her lips. The hair was let down adn for once her clothes was fitting to the situation being a tiny black dress that showed that she had amazing shape but also a not so very skinny body. She wasn´t a model he reminded himself. 

They came up to the party and he parked amongst the other cars leaving its warmth behind. It was easy finding there way into the dorm, inside a lot of peole was together in a very saml space and he was thrown back to the parties with friends back at Miltown Keynes when he was younger. Was was pressign throw the crowed trying to find where teh booze was and he could feel Astrid hanging on to his arm to not loose him in the croud. Then he stoped he saw that they had lost Jackie, not that he complaind. He poured a cup of bear to himself and was going to for Astid but she pulled his head down and sreamd over the music that she didn´t drink. He wasn´t suprized, it fit this how she was but he started to realize why she wasn´t good at parties, the drinking was kind of a lot of the party.   
"Lets dance?"  
She asked and becked astep away. he nodded and emtied his bear before following her. The dancing was more beeing pushed back and forth by other bodies and they knocked there heads together so many times he started seeing stars. She was having a polite smile but he could se that she was not enjoying this.   
"Should we leave."  
He bent down, screaming in her ear, he could feel her nodding against his cheek and he started dragging them throw the crowd again.   
"Astrid!"  
They had just gotten outdie then someone sceamed to stop them. They turned and it was , without a shirt, Dele understod why Astrid dodn´t want him and then ad in the fact that she spent the entire weekend looking at professional football playsers half naked...  
He reased them and pushed a fished againt Deles, he had two friends with him and one of them was starign, gaping at Dele, he reliazed he had been recognized.   
"My man, I thougth you lied about the two of you beeing a couple?"  
"Wer are friends."  
Dele said it watching the friends chin drop even lower. If the freidn said anything it wuld ruing his and Rubys plan, that was not good.   
"Oh, ofcourse, have fun, will I see you on moday Astrid?"  
Jack smiled polite but now that Dele knew Astrid didn´t want the dude around her he felt his own thorns startign to point out.  
"Sure Jack, if you see Jackie, tell her we have left."  
Jack nodded and they were starting to turn around, relief of gettign away washing over Dele then the friend spoke.  
"Aen´t you Dele Alli?"  
He froze and al his mind just stopped working but luckely Astrids didn´t she half turned looking at Dele with open moth.  
"Omg, don´t tell him that! he is like Dele Allis biggest fan and does everything to ape after him it is really anoying and chilish adn you dn´t have t encurage him!"  
She had placed a ahd on a hip and was giving the friend an angry look. Deles brain, with a way out visisbly started working again.  
"You really think I look like him?"  
He pushed up his chest and moved his body in some angles. Teh friendhad his mouth opend propebly not knowing what to answere.   
"No, you don´t look like him. Simon is just very drunk, Alli would btw never wear that."  
Jack remarked and hit his friend in the back of the head. Astid agreed noisly and finally they were able to get away from the group. Inside the car they both started laughing like crazy people. Sitting back they looked at each other smiling. She was in teh driver seat because he had had bear.   
"Oh, we have work tomorrow."  
it came out suddenly adn Astird let her head fal back on the chair while closing her eyes. Dele nodded and looked at her.  
"You know if you sleep at my place I can go up later which would be very nice, plus we would get to sleep faster not having to dive so much."  
She nodded looking like she wasn´t sure if that was what she wanted.   
"I have a lot of guest rooms."  
He said it because he was pretty sure she was afriad that he acually hinted that they were goign to have sex. He wasn´t hinting at that but the ide, he found, didn´t disturb him at al.   
"You will have to tell me the way.I have never been to your home."  
Dele nodded and put on the seatbelt.


	7. Roomies

Astid had made breakfast when he got up, not like she had put some cearel on the table no, she had done it all and was sitting and reading an atricle on her phone. He touched her back to show that he was up whitout disturbing her reading and she lifted her head and smiled telling him that there was bread in the oven if he wanted some, it would be done in ten minutes. Dele nodded and sat down. He had slept well last night, today was the game against Leicester City and he was starting, luckely Eric had called him at 11 pm yesterday and they were back on really good tracks. He was acually coming to pick up Dele and Astrid so that they could head to work together.  
"Slept well?"  
"Are you kidding, that bed was amazing, I never wanted to get up."  
She said it with a smile and put away her phone. She was wearing Tottenham gear and looked like she had been ready to go to work for at least tree hours.  
"You know you could keep on sleeping in it if you wanted to..."  
He wasn´t looking at her directely when he said it, not really sure why. She laughed at him and got up to take the bread out. The breakfast was really good and he knew that he propably ate a bit to much than he should before a match.  
"When do we have to go?"  
She asked looking at the clock again as she starting putting plastic wrap around the bowls of food. Dele told her that Eric was picking them up and she looked happy about that. Astrid kept moving around a while before turning towards him giving him a serious face.  
"I thougth you had a girlfriend!"  
"I thougth I told you about what happend."  
He replied realizning she must be finding him really inappropriate. She shook her head as a reply and he told her that he and Ruby was only dating for the cameras at the moment. She looked at him, apparently she hadn´t expected that, then her face hardend again.  
"Then what was your attentions of having me sleeping here?"  
"Why do you always asume the worst about me?"  
He replied and got up from his chair, feeling some anger in the pitt of his belly.  
"I don´t but you are so much, you have so much, I one the oppositde have very little and are very unimportant, we are in very diffrent positions in life. You have al the power in this realtionship and yes it is not like I havn´t been okey with it but..., GOD I sound like a hypocrite, I don´t know what to feel but however greatful I am for everything you have done for me, I will not sleep with you!"  
She stopt, breathing a bit rage, her eyes wide then she made a sound and pressed her hands to her sculltaing deep breaths. She looked up at him, clearly thinking he was going to throw her out or start yelling. Her face was the only think that stoped him from doing that, her face made him instead think. Carefully he took a step forward expecting her to back away like she had done in the beginning of their friendship but she didn´t so he pulled her into a hug, pressing their cheeks together. He thougth about thet this was their first time raising the voice towards eacht other and it wasn´t because of a disagreement it was because of a missunderstanding. He also realized he liked her showing al sort of feelings. his mind kept working wondering why she was so afraid of sexual relationship, with Jack in mind as well, thinking that he really should not ask her right know but ensure her that he was n´t going to force her into anything, that that wasn´t the reason that he wanted to have her sleeping here which was true. He wanted her here because he hated beeing alone and her company was very entertaining and hadn´t been demanding anything of him, apparently she had been afraid that he was going to be the demanding one, like that was ever goign to happen. He told her most of his thougths and backed of a step to look into her eyes while he said it. She looked calm, maybe a bit embarrassed. Yes very embarassed.  
"Oh, Im so sorry I overreacted"  
She pressed a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. He smiled and thougth before answering so she talked first.  
"I would very much love to be roomie with you Dele but I don´t think I have the money to share rent."  
She made a gesture around teh kitchen, twice as big as her entire appartment. Dele smiled at that and was going to tell her that she didn´t need to pay anything, he earned enought but thougth about her breakdown, understanding that putting her even more dependent on him wasn´t a good road for their relationship. Not when she thougth he was going to demand paybacks for it al. So he changed his answere.  
"Well to be honest I don´t need you money, I need someone to live here and if you feel like that is unbalanced in our relationship you could like clean and stuff. i don´t know, I just would really love having you as a roomie."  
He smiled and pulled in one of her blonde locks, she roled her eyes at him but he could she her thinking it over. He understod why she feelt like she was the underdog in their relationship but before she had said it he had acually never thougth it, her entire beeing, her way of moving throw the world, it was so independent and strong that he honestly felt at her mercy most of the time. Somehow he felt like her telling him she felt as weak around him as he felt around her made him calmer.  
Erics car started honking outside, they pulled apart still looking at each other, her eyes impossible to read.

^^^

Eric and Dele was back on track, they were even more back on track than usually or Dele had just missed Eric a lot. During pre training they were clinging on each other and they had only talked to each other during the eintre car ride here to where the match was beeing held. The game had started and Dele was on fire, he felt really good and was very focused, that resulted in him and Son scoring on goal each and Hugo getting a clean sheet. It wasn´t until they sat in the bus on the way home, when he was resting his head on Erics shoulder and watched Astrid read a book a few seats ahead where she sat beside a coworker that he realised that Eric had smacked him in the but infront of the cameras. Fist he felt a bit of a panic, but then his brain started to calm down and he decided that the cameras presumably hadn´t caugth it and if they had who cared. Well Ruby would... He shook his head and turned his nose into Erics neck, cosing his eyes. He felt Eric shift and put an arm around Deles shoulders. After a moment he fell asleep 

^^^  
"I cant belive you are moving in with Dele Alli."  
Jackie was standing in a T-shirt watching them pack Astrids stuff in boxes, it wasn´t really hard, the only things that she had of value according to Dele was a phone and a computer the rest was just books and clothes but Astrid was very careful packing the books, Dele wanted to leave when she called them her babies but Eric found it funny. Jackie made a sound of anger.  
"Astrid for real, how will I find someone to take your room in the middle of the term?"  
"I know at least five people how would love to take my room."  
Astrid put a tag that said fragile on a box Dele was pretty sure containd books, he made a face at Eric how was still smiling.  
"None of them is going to be you!"  
Jackie sounded lika child. Astrid apparently thougth so too because she made a face in the boys direction. Throwing a couple of dresses down in a box without even folding them. Clothes as well as make-up wasn´t her biggest intress. 

"Are you seeing Ruby tomorrow?"  
Ereic asked when they put in the two boxes, they had been carrying, in the car. Dele nodded and leaned against the car, the book boxes was extremly heavy.  
"Why don´t you just do a real breakup?"  
Eric sounded a bit angery, Dele looked at him, putting a hand on Erics upper arm. Eric shook his head and pulled away.  
"I just think its stupid Delboy, you deserv someone better and honestly she is only dragging your reputation down."  
Dele didn´t know what to answere, he was very happy with the aggreement. He liked Ruby and this was the perfect way to keep her in his life without either of them sucking the life out of oneanother. Ruby felt like a girl he fitted with, she felt like him, she felt like home. Sure a toxic home but still a home and nobody could turn him on like she could...  
"Why can´t you just start to date Astrid, do you honestly believe that she wouldn´t gain you reputation anything. She would be one of the most educated wags in the world."  
Dele looked up at Eric, understanding why he was mad. He thougth Dele was having Astrid like a side piece, like she had thougth he wanted to use her. Eric didn´t think that was okey, he had started to like her impossibleness aswell.  
"Astrid doesn´t like me that way, we are not doing anything more than Harry and I do."  
Eric wrinkled his forehead.  
"Then why are she moving in with you?"  
"For money and because I practicly went down on my knees begging her to move in because you know how much I hate living my myself."  
"So you are honestly telling my you have never thougth about having her?"  
Eric was serious and watching him carefully. Dele knew he should lie but he didn´t want to.  
"Well, once, but I kind of do that with everyone..."  
Dele blushed when the truth became a bit to much more than he intended.  
"Everyone?"  
Erics voice changed, Dele didn´t know what it meant. He mest Erics eyes and pushed his chest up when Eric took a step closer. His senses started tingeling and a noice in his head became anoying but he didn´t back away. When Eric placed a hand on one of Deles hip the noice in his head became a roar and he felt like he was going to faint. What was going on?  
"Have you imagine us having sex.. Delboy?"  
Erics voice was horse like he to was beeing ruind by a high pitch sound in his head. Dele knew his mouth was open, that his eyes ,without shame, was fickering from Erics eyes down to his mouth then up only to go down again. What were they doing? Eric leaned in, pressing their foreheads together, there breath mingled. Dele changed his heads position so that there mouthes where meer milimeters from meating. He meat Erics steady graze for a second before he touched his lips to Erics. Al the noice went quiet in a split second, al his focus, everything went to the sensation of Erics lips against his own. They didn´t move, they just stod there, the moment to fragile for them to do anything more. A sound of a door opening made them both jump apart, Dele felt his cheeks beeing bright red and his entire body beeing aflame. Okey.. he had lied earlier. Eric was way better at turning him on than Ruby was...  
"Guys, some help please."  
Astid had come out carying two boxes by herself and it looked like she was going to fall any moment. Eric rushed forward to help her and Dele shook his head trying to clear the fog. He came up and took the other box, placing it into the car.  
"Was that al?"  
Eric sounded completely normal, like nothing had happend and Dele didn´t know if that turned him on or if it hurt his self-confidence.  
"I think so, Jackie will text if she finds something I have forgotten."  
She looked at them with an suspicious face.  
"Why are the two of you looking like childen I just caugth steeling candy?"  
Dele didn´t know what to answere and nither did Eric but luckely she didn´t seem to really care about their answere because she let the subject drop and started talking about how they, with al their money, should bye an car driven by electrict instead of petrol and how air pollution was going to kill the entire human race. Dele didn´t listen very much so he hoped he heard wrong on the last bit, he had more important stuff to focus on, like Erics burning eyes in the rearviewmirror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are heating up


	8. Friends with Benefits

Living with Astrid was a mess. She was a constant mess f books and papers and pens and those things were everywere. Dele didn´t know if he was shooked or amused. Yesterday he had had to eat sitting on the floor, she had an exam today and had studied the entire nigth, to repay him she had made bread and coffe to go which he now ate after dropping her of at university whishing her luck. He wasn´t going to pick up Eric but was going straigth to work. They hadn´t talked about what happend yesterday and Dele wasn´t sure he wanted to, yes his body was burning just by thinking about Erics body agains his own but it would never work out, there jobs wouldn´t alow it, never. at that moment Dele didn´t like his job very much. He wondered if Astrid would ever have to hide that she loved a girl, presumable not. 

In the dressing room he changed clothes and followed Kane out on the feeld, Harry was usually very focused when it came to work but today he seemd to understad that Dele needed company because he didn´t walk of. They talked about trival matters and everything was okey untill Eric showed up. When Dele saw him his voice chatched in his throte and he had to cough. HArry followed his eyes andsaw Eric. Dele could see his mind spinning and he turned away before it would reasch a conclusion. 

"Delboy"

Eric came up to him and Dele felt like kicking something. 

"You know tonight, Maria really want a dubble date with you and Ruby I havn´t told her about your arrangement because she wouln´t understand."

Dele had forgoten about tonight, he really didn´t want to se Ruby but having Eric there seemd like a compromise so he aggreed even if he knew it was very stupid. 

"We can´t be out for long. We have the game against Barcelona tomorrow!" 

"I knew, I was thinking we could dine at your place and like post photos and stuff."

"Astrid is home."

Dele thougth he had found his way out. But Eric nodded and said that he would love to introduce Maria to Astrid, he said that he belied them to have mote incmmon than she and Ruby. Dele did agree. He didn´t know how he felt. Why didn´t Eric hint anything about the kiss, he must have been up al night thinking about it just like Dele. A trainer blow a whisle and Eric clapped him on the shoulder before running away. Dele shook his head and run up beside Harry, keping a stready pace with him.

^^^

Astrid had been home wen he had come in, she had been in a brilliant mood, apparently scorign really high on the test and now having the rest of the week of. Somehow she had manage to clean up al the mess she had made and she was checking throw on of his family albums of him and Harry graduating.

"I and Ruby are having a dubble date with Eric and Maria here tonight."

She looked up at him from her computer nodding before focusing again. 

"You will meet Ruby!"

She looked up again looking confused.

"I thought you were acting for the camera?"

Dele nodded, saying that Ruby still matterd to him despite that. 

"Okey, so what are we cooking?"

She put away the book and got up. She was in sweatpants but the hair was in luxurious curls, he wanted to role his eyes over her way of putting outfits together.He had lucekly been shopping before coming home and they started making a meal with potatoes and salmon. She put the fish in the oven with a lot of lemons after the potatoes had cooked for a couple of minutes. Dele mostely helped by setting up the table and slicing vegetables. The kept a steady conversation, mostely about stupid things and Dele found that he didnt care reallly about where the conversation was going he just wanted the keep her smiling. 

The dor bell rang and he got up to open. It was Ruby in a skinn colored tigth dress. Her make up amazingly dne and the hair amazing, she looked dashing and suddenly Dele got nervous about introducing her to Astrid, they were very diffenrent. He didn´t have a chans to not introduce them because Astrid came out in the halllway with a smile on her face. Having the two of them in the same room made the diffrenceses very clear. Ruby looked so much better in every way except, Dele din´t really know what it was but he felt calmer looing at Astrid and acually, her smile was prettier than Rubys but that migth be because Astrid had a way of smiling so tha the entire room lit up because of it. 

"Welcome, to your home I guess..."

Astrid gave Dele an look that was a question but he coudn´t answere before she laughed at her own joke and came up to shake Rubys hand. Dele also realished that Astrid and Ruby was very equal in heigth. 

"I hope you are ready to make your brain happy tonight, we have made salmon."

She smiled again, giving Dele another face before turning around and walking first into the dining room. She was still in sweat pents and he wonderd if he could ask her to go and change before Maria would get here. Luckley he didn´t have toshe talked some more before she excused herself and disapperd upstairs to change.

"Wow, Bebe I can´t belivie that is your replacement. Talk about moving down."

Ruby didn´t say it in a mean way, it was more of a statement and Dele shruggednot really wanting to agree with her, even if she was right. Tree weeks ago and he would have agreed without a second thougth. She opend a wine bottel and pored both of them a glass wondering if he was nervous about the Barcelona class tomorrow. Dele didn´t answere, he really didn´t want to think about that. Instead he asked her about her job and after that he didn´t have to commit so much to the conversation. The door bell rang again adn saved him and he opend for Maria and Eric, they were both dressed up and Maria gave him a bottle of expensive champange before kissing him on both cheeks. Eric and he hugged and Dele was weel aware that they hugged for a bit to long. 

When they reashed the dining room Astrid had come down, she was wearing a maroon dress which was a very good contrast to her hair and she acually looked okey, Dele thanked the gods. She was serving the plates while asking Ruby about if her make up was animal tested adn she didn´t seem happy about the fact that Ruby didn´t know. Dele desiced to stop that conversation.

"Astrid this is Maria!"

She looked up and gave Maria a smile matching the light from the sun. They shook and gave each other pointless compliments. Berfore they al sat down. The dinner was nice and everything seemed to be working out well to Deles relife, he was sitting at the main seat and had Ruby on one side and Eric on one. Erics leg was constantly brushing up against Deles and he had to concentrate a lot to not only focus on that contact. 

"So Astrid what do you do?"

MAria asked with a smile, stopping a conversation about nothing.

"Oh, I´m here studing law as a gap year in my real education at home."

"Where are you from?"

"Sweden."

"Are there ice bears on the streets there?"

Ruby interupted and looked at Astrid with the first glimt of intresst for the night. 

"Eh, no..."

Astrid looked at Ruby for a second with disbelief written al over her face. She seemed to realize she was being impolit because she shook her head and turn her face into a smal smile.

"I think you are thining about Svalbard, I don´t know what it is called in English but there you can acually se icebears close to civilisation. Svalbard belongs to Norway."

She smiled again and turned back to Maria.

"Your not orignally here from right?"

"No, I´m not, I´m from Portugal. Are you really studing law, i that why Dele is keeping you so close. He is a mess right?"

They both laughed and Dele turned to eric thinking that the girls coud handle their own conversation. Eric noticed that he was looking at him and their eyes met and Dele felt like he suddenly had trubble breathing. Why did his body act like this? This was so stupid, Eric was his best friend, they worked in one of the most homofobic job areas there was and it just didn´t work out. Dele made him self turn away just in time for RUby to say.

"So basically you are living on Dele?"

"Yes"

Dele wanted to bang his head in a wall because of Astrids forwardness. 

"Honestly I would propebly been forced to move home if he hadn´t gotten me a job att Tottenham."

Dele tried to catch Astrid gaze to stop her from talking but of course not.

"And I would defenetly not have been able to by any tickets home for christmas if he hadn´t let me stay here so I owe him a lot."

"Wait. your going home for christmas?"

Dele felt a bit petaid because she told RUby before him at the same time he felt a bit of panic over having to be alone over the holiday. 

"Yes, I have one more hour courses left and then I´m on a plane."

Astrid had finally met his eyes and she saw they he wasn´t happy. He had hoped that would make her change her mind but it was clear she was not going to not go. Instead she told himk she would be beack tree days after New Years eve. 

"Okey, how cares."  
Ruby intrupted and Dele wanted to tell her to be quiet but she kept talking, stopping him.

"Does that meen you repay him in ...."

Ruby stopped talking but it was clear what she ment. Dele suddenly felt a bit disgusted over Rubys way of behaving, especially because he knew ow important that part was for Astrid. But she didn´t seem to react instead she just smiled secrity and got up from the chair. Asking if anyone wanted more food, when nobody said yes she started gathering things up for the dishwasher.

During the time when they moved into the livingroom Ruby took a couple of pictures with him and then also a couple of videos of them playing poker. Astird manage to win everytime despite claiming that she had never played before. In total the dinner ended very well and afterward when the guestes had left they played another round.

"So how did you find Ruby?"

He didn´t expect her to acually say anything good about RUby but she manage by calling Ruby strongwilled and beautiful. When Dele asked what she was doing tomorrow since she wasn´t coming with them to BArcelona she told him that she was going to watch Netflix on his over sized telly. 

^^^

They where going to go onto the pit to start the match now and Dele felt his focus shift so that he now focused a 100% on acually winning and not on anything else. They were going to win this, he atleast had to believe that.

"Delboy"

Eric called for him and he moved back so that they could talk alone. Eric pressed their forheads togehter and Dele wanted very much to kiss him.

"You know that Ruby has told Maria that we are banging."

Dele felt his heart start to beat faster while he answered that he migth have told Ruby that. Eric raised an eyebrow but Dele didn´t want o tell him about that stupid argument so he shook his head. 

"You want to know something else?"

Eric looked serious and Dele shook his head as an answere. Eric moved so that his mouth was just above Deles ear and Dele could feel Erics lips against his ear. 

"Well, she told me that she didn´t care. That she understod because it is impossible to come out as an footblall player atleast if you are not prepared to die. She told me that she was okey with us fucking and it is non of Rubys buissness anymore."

Eric backed away a step looking at him, tense. Deles feelings were a mess and he couldn´t feel his toes. He really wanted to kiss Eric, his body screamed for it but in the same time he felt like this was not how it was supposed to go. They should not have to plan how to hide their love life and he was sure he didn´t want to do that, he didn´t like secrets. Eric must have seen the doupt in Deles eyes because he opend his mouth to say something else but Dele pulled away and turned towards the rest of the team moving to his place in the line. In unison the group started movin out on the pitch. Deles feelngs was an entire mess and he couldn´t focus for even a secound of the first half. The next half wne tbetter and they acually ended up with the resuts that took them to the last 16 of the Champions League teams. Dele was so happy that he didn´t care about anyting exept that he wanted to share thet joy with his best friend. 

They where in the hotell staying one more night and sure his muscles were acing and his eyelids heavy but he still went over to Erics room and knocked n the door that soon opened. 

"We are through!"

He yelled it in Erics face before entering and throing himself in the soft hotell bed. His muscles screams but he welcomed the feeling. 

"Yes we are, you did great Dels!"

Eric sat down on the bed beside him, smiling broad. Dele didn´t take the compliment, he had not been great, his head had not been in half of the game, that wasn´t professional. Eric apparently saw that Dele didn´t agree with him because he said it agan patting Deles leg before lying down beside him. They lay like that, staring up at the sealing for a while before Dele turned over so he could se Eric fully.

"My feelings are messed up."

He said it before he could change his mind and took a shaking breath when Eric to turned over so that they were facing oneanother. Erics face was calm and Dele reached out a hand to caress his stubble. it was odd touching another mans face like that, Dele realized he kinda liked it. He rubbed his hand against the hints of a beard and Eric closed his eyes leaning into the touch. Dele moved a bit closer, pressing their bodies against each other a bit, pressing his nose into Erics cheek.

"So beacuse of that I have one half of my barin sceaming at me to kiss you and the other telling me that I acually ove Ruby and that this never will end in anything good. Also, nomatter how Maria reacts she deservs to be more than a thing on the side for you, she is like your Astrid."

"Astrid is way hotter than Maria."

Dele backed away, raising an eyebrow. Asking if Eric had lost his mind. Eric looked at him confused.

"Wait, Dele, are you acually telling me that you don´t find Astrid beautiful. Mate, what are you even looking at?"

Dele shook his head, he didn´t find Astrid as beautiful as Ruby, Maria or like Beyoncé. Eric asked him if he was dumb but then a light seemed to be lit above Erics head and he asked if Dele was comparing girls in professional done make-up and hair against Astrid how basicially just had gotten up from bed everytime they saw her. Dele reminded him that he had seen Ruby in that state to many times and Eric looked confused again. Dele desided that the conversation was borring and roled closer to Eric again, feeling him up. Eric seemed to agree that this was more intresting than Astrids look.Now, it was his turn to caress Deles cheek and Dele closed his eyes leaning in for a kiss when his phone went of. He couldn´t help but to swear but took it up and saw that it was Astrid.

"Speak of the Devil."

Dele roled his eyes and answered.

_"We got Alli, Dele Alli. I just don´t think you understand.."_

Dele put the phone on speaker giving Eric a smile.

_"He only cost five mill, he is better than Özil, we got Dele Alli!"_

She stoped singing and Eric claped his hands. Dele wonderd how she had learned that and she answered smiling: from **_Youtube_**. Dele rolled his eyes and Eric laughed.

" _Oh, hi Eric, you were amazing to. Wait a second... I love Eric Dire, Eric Dire loved me...."_

They laughed some more and Dele asked her if she had seen the game.

_"Eh, no... Did you win?"_

Eric bent over on the bed so hard he started laughing and Dele ouldn´t help himself from laughing to. He tried to explain to her that those songs where only sung in prais and not defeat but she told him he was putting to much importance in the word winning, everybody could have diffenrent definitions about it. Dele told her he didn´t belive that. While Eric said he loved that motto and they joked around a bit. 

"If you didn´t see the game, why are you calling?"

_"Oh, am I interrupting something?"_

Her voice playfull. Dele answered yes and Eric answered no and they both looked at each other with panick but she laughed and wondered how much Dele valued the painting in his living room. He didn´t even know whch painting she meant so he said that he didn´t care about it and she toled him she hade taken it to an action and gotten money for it. He sad that that was good and that they could by a beter painting for the money. She told him that wasn´t posible because she had given away the money to a swedish campain to save chickens in the meat industri. Nither Dele nor Eric answered, they just looked confused at one another. SHe noticed and said that she acually had putten his name on it. eric laughed at that, beacuse Dele really liked eating chickan and it just didn´t make sense. Dele asked her why she called for that if she already had done it they couldn´t take it back and she told him she was aware but that it was his early christmas present and Dele went quiet again while Eric died by laughter. 

"So you gave me a present for my own money?"

Dele asked a bit confused, had he missunderstod the entire thing of christmas? She answered yes and reminded him he had been worried about his reputation and that saving baby hens woudl defenetly help him in the right way. Dele rolled his eyes not wanting to tell her that the football world never would care about the life of a couple of chickens. 

They kept talking until the clock became to much and then Eric and Dele fel asleep tangled in one another. 


	9. Home

Harry dropped of Dele at his place and he came home to a house lightend up by christmas lighting and he wonderd how Astrid had found time to do it. Sure she had told himk she wold but he had thought it was a mission that would take atleast a week, for him it ususally took the entirety of December and then some of January and then it was time to take it down again. He got in ans shouted for Astrid but she didn´t answere so he put his stuff down and went into the kitchen, he was still tired and the hunger was eating on hhsi bones. when going to the kitchen he passed throw the living room and stoped. The painting she had said she had sold was hanging on the wall, looking untouched. He took a photo of it and sent to Eric telling him they had been lied to. Eric sent a sad emoiji back. The entire house smelled like christmas and he started to bowl the water while going throw the frigde, happy then he found the soure of the smell, gingerbreas cookies, they were odly flat and decorated but very tasty. He ate them while waiting for the pasta to be down when he heard Astrid coming down the staris. She was in shorts and a big hoddie and looked to have been alseep. Her face lit up wen she saw him and she put her arms around his waist while saying that she had tought it was a break in. He patted her on the head wondering what she would have done if it was and she shook her shoulders saying that she would have given the thief a couple of Deles wine glasses, on of those would propbely be enough to feed five families in Africa. Dele didn´t disagree. They kept on talking and like always he forgot al the problems in the world around her, until she asked what was up with Eric.

"What do you mean, up with him? He is fine?!"

Dele took out to plates and placed them opposite each other on the table in the kitchen. 

"He looked sad on you instagram thingie and he hasn´t sent me any memes."

"Eric sends you memes? He never does that to me?"

"He is favourizing!"

She giggled while saying it and he playfully showed her a bit. Then she became serous and he understood that she acually wanted an answere. 

"it is a very long story."

Dele felt hesitent about telling her and she saw it because she placed a and on his upper arm loking openly at him with warm and calm eyes.

"And you don´t have to tell me if you don´t want to. I am just telling you that Eric is not fine and that since he means a lot to you you can probely fix it."

"I propably caused it."

Dele pourd up pasta in equal amounts on their plates but she scoped over most of hers on his plate before grabbing to forsk. 

"Then it is even easier for you to fix it."

"No."

"Let´s eat in the guest room."

"Why?"

"it healthy eating lying down, ask the romans and the greekes."

Dele didn´t know much about history so he coudn´tell she was joking utill he saw her face but they still went up and lied down on the bed and starting the telly. They watched some stupid tv program but al Dele could think about was Eric and his thougths became to many so he decided to acually tell her, not knowing if that was wise but knowing he had to acually talk to someone. 

"We kissed, on the day you moved in here."

She turned towards him, her smiling face turned serious when she realized that he was ready to tell her and she jumped closer and turned off the telly. Dele put their plates on the night stand and wonderd if he was ever going to remember to remove them from there, it wasn´t like anyone was ever in here. He moved down so that instead of looking at her he looked up at the ceiling. Beside him he could feel Astrid lying down aswell. 

"No, in Barcelona he told me, basically that he wanted us to bang."

She still didn´t replay and Dele glazed at her direction seeing that she was looking directly at him. 

"Apperantly Maria was okey with it but I don´t feel like thats okey. She is wonderfull and doesn´t deserve to be stuck with a man that doesn´t like her. I´m mad at him for putting her in that position. Why aren´t he just breaking up?"

Dele knew he sounded like a hypocrite but it wasn´t the same with Ruby they had never had a clean relationship, from the beginning they had both been in an agreement over the fact that they could fuck how they wanted aslong as they took tests for diseases and valued them as a couple most. For both him and Ruby sex wasn´t something intimate that you only had with your soulmate, for them sex was an extra activity that was very pleasurable and ususally something you had to do atleast once a week. Now, then Dele thought about it, it was awhile since he had sex acually. He met Astrid eyes waiting for them to tell him what she tought but of course they didn´t.

"Say something, please!"

"i think you shouldn´t do something you don´t feelt okey doing."

"I feel okey doing it, it is just, it feels wrong towards Maria."

"Have you told him that?"

"No."

"Do you love him."

"God, Astird, when did we get into love, this is about a complicated body call."

She giggled at that, pressing her head down in a pillow. 

"So you don´t love Eric?"

"Stop asking me that."

"Is it really pleasurable to have sex with someone you don´t have feelings for. I mean, wouldn´t that just make everything complicated, you still will have to see each other everyday at work."

"Sex is always pleasurable, and I can´t think about work because that would make al of this forbidden. Do you know how homofobic football is?"

She made a face at him and he answered his own question with a no. Of course she didn´t. She moved and was no staring up in the ceiling while he watched her. She bit her lips befroe turning back.

"I can´t talk for your feelings but I feel like you and Eric are like very good together but there is no hurry. You have an eternity to have sex with Eric, why are you rushing a desision you are not ready to make?"

"Beacuse you forced dme to."

They both laughed at that.

"I don´t have an eternity to deside, I only have the rest of my life, which could end tomorrow."

"Well, that depends on how you se it. I would say that sure life is not an eternity but it is the longest thing you will ever experience."

He made a face and they laughed again. 

^^^

Dele woke up by a movement, he was tired so it took some time for him to open his eyes but when he did his heart began to pound a bit faster. They had fallen asleep in the guestbed last night, propebly talking a bit to long into the night and no toothbrushing and sometimes during the night they had moved together and was no lying tangled in each others limbs. Most noticeably was the fact that one of Astrid legs had slipped in between his own and her other was around his waste while his upper body was atop of her pressing her down in the matres. He didn´t want to move, he was afraid not to, if she woke up and found out what was going on down south he didn´t know how she would react, he was pretty sure she wouldn´t be happy. He cursed his body for its sex drives and tried to think about boring stuff, like dishing the plates on the nightstand. He was pretty sure it was working when Astrid suddenly moved and pressed her legs against him hard enougth to make his body react in pleasure. He pulled back, in panic, not caring if she would wake up. Luckely she didn´t, instead she snuggled in a pillow instead and pulled up her legs untill she was a ball. Her hair was shimering in the morning light and for the first time since they had met Dele could acually se what Eric had talked about two night ago, maybe she acually was pretty. Before he let his brain work more on that he turned around and left the room finding the way to his own. He needed to take a cold bath, call Eric and then go to work. They had a game on Saturday against Burnley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I will start with different characters POV:s soon. Is that a good idea? Well, I will try and we´ll have to se how it works out. Thanks to everyone managing throw my errors and reading the story!


	10. Date 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A long chapter, next one wil be in Erics POV

Eric had gotten his appendicitis removed and was now in the hospital, apparently he had also broken up with Maria so Dele had to pick him up. He didn’t find that to be a problem except for the fact that he hadn’t been able to drive Astrid to the airport and only do a quick goodbye. They had given each other presents but then she had had to go to catch the bus and now he would not see her until January. He went throw the Glassdoor’s into the hospital and had to ask for Eric in the reception.  
“Your family?”  
He nodded signing a paper before getting directions.

Eric looked tired, and not like himself and Dele felt his heart melt a bit when Eric gave him a tired smile, slowly sitting up. A nurse came in to help him and Dele sat down in a chair watching without saying anything.  
“Arsenal on Wednesday.”  
Eric sounded like he needed to lie down again and Dele nodded and got up to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Eric smiled again and wondered were Astrid was which was an easy conversation to have. They went over to talk about how more pointless things and reached the car. Dele helped Eric in and tried to ignore the odd feelings in his body. The feelings he had started to work throw but wasn’t done with yet. He went around and got into the car. It was odd driving Eric, usually Eric drove him.  
“I’m sorry for asking you for this!”  
“What, omg, no Eric. You can always ask me!”  
Dele touched Eric leg that made Eric jump high.   
“You should not have to babysit me, I promise I love in with my parents or something as some as they come back.”  
“You don’t have to…”  
“Dele.”  
Eric made a pained sound and Dele gave him his full attention. Eric was looking out but slowly he turned to face Dele.  
“After what I said how can you even look at me?”  
Dele didn’t understand so he just opened his mouth and closed it again.  
“I’m so sorry Dele it’s just, I really really try to suppress my feelings and I’m so sorry for that I kissed you and then made that statement.”  
Eric looked out the window again and Dele how had thought that they were in the same place in mind could only listen.   
“What do you feel about me?”  
Dele grabbed Eric arm, making him meet his eyes. Eric looked actually pained and Dele felt a bit bad for asking, Eric was not well.   
“I love you Dele.”  
He said it so clear, like love was an easy feeling, something that wasn’t complicated and Dele felt jealousy over that but he also felt a warm feeling spreading around in his body. “Love finds you.”  
He took a deep breath.  
“OMG, I’m so sorry, just drive me to a hotel and I stay there.”  
Eric turned away again pressing into the door and Dele made a sound. Eric gave him quick once over. Dele grabbed Eric’s arm to hinder him to turn away again.  
“I’m not mad about the kiss. My feelings are messed up, that’s why I’m like this.”  
Eric eyes became a little bit less pains and Dele felt a sting wondering if it was he how had caused the dark spots under Eric’s eyes and not the appendicitis. Dele smiled weakly at his best friend and turned to start the car.  
“No Dele, you have to explain better.”  
Eric grabbed his arm.  
“Do you like me as well?”  
Dele turned back, he could feel his cheeks getting hot.  
“I don’t know and you deserve more than that.”  
“OMG, are you for real.”  
“I’m so in love with you that I practically live for days on our eyes meeting.”  
Dele swallowed not knowing how he was supposed to answer, presumably not with butterflies all around his belly. He turned back and this time he did start the car.  
“Dele.”  
Eric’s voice was strained but Dele ignored him and focused on getting out of the parking space.

^^^  
“Is this Astrid rooms?”  
“No.”  
“So she gets the proper once and I get the guest rooms?”  
“Yes, since she is actually living here.”  
Eric went tired and placed his bag on the floor lying down on the bed. He looked so tired and tiny. Dele stopped and wonders if that was the first time ever he had ever even gotten that word near Eric, nothing about him was really tiny. Dele lie down beside him placing a hand on Eric’s chest. Eric took the hand and hugged it.   
“I’m sorry.”  
“It’s okay, I’m jealous of your and Astrid’s relationship as well.”  
Eric gave him a confused face.  
“Yeah, I think that’s a part of Astrid’s persona, to make the person she has in front of her at the moment feel like he is the only thing that matters in the world, or the direct opposite, making the person think that he is completely unimportant.”  
Eric laughed and agreed. 

They joked around a bit, pushing watch others shoulders until Eric suddenly stopped laughing and just became a stone. Dele was pulled out of the moment as well and realized how they were lying. He was atop Eric’s body holding Eric’s hands over his head, Dele had been in the way to tickle Eric but that suddenly felt wrong. Under him Eric’s body felt strong and powerful. Dele let go of Eric’s hands and placed his own on Eric’s chest. The muscle contracted under his hands and then he slowly caressed Eric made a painful sound. Dele stopped immediately, afraid he had pressed against Eric’s wound but when he saw Eric’s face he understood that that sound had come from pleasure. Interested and intrigued by the newfound power he lay down his hands again and this time caressed up to Eric’s throat before getting up to straddle Eric, that move gave away a new pleasure sound and Dele felt very pleased with himself. He pulled his hands done, following every twist and turn of Eric’s body down to lining of the pants. Eric’s breathing has gone up and Dele could feel something pressing against him throw Eric’s pants. The new sensation made Dele try to rub his hips down a little and that made Eric sit up with a startled sound sitting up in panic. Eric grabbed Deles hands. There bodies was pressed together and Dele couldn’t help but reclaim his hand and put them around Eric neck pressing their foreheads together.   
“You said you didn’t know what you wanted.”  
Eric sounded breathless.  
“I don’t.”  
Dele answered suddenly feeling bad for using Eric’s feeling like this. Dele slipped out of Eric’s arm and landed between him in the bed. He’s own body was hot all over and Eric looked like he had just been torn open and not put back. The same took over and Dele got up mumbling something close to sorry before tuning out of the room, downstairs and then out. He pulled up the phone and called Harry before he started the car and drove away.

^^^  
Harry hadn't picked up so Dele had ended up in a pub and was no so drunk that the thought of going home had long been forgotten. So when Harry actually called him up he ignored all the texts and missed calls from Eric and just asked Harry if he wanted to go out with him.  
“Dele are you okey. Eric called me and asked if you were catshing at my place and when we hung up I saw that you had called me. What has happened?”  
Dele was to drunk to remember why he had really wanted to crash at Harry's so he just giggled and then giggled some more if Harry asked him if he was drunk. Oh, Harry had no idea…  
“Where are you? I will come and pick you up. Man come on we face Arsenal on Wednesday.”  
“You talk funny.”  
“So do you!”  
“I'm at Izabella`s.”  
Dele didn't want to leave but he wanted company. 

He didn't know how long it actually took for Harry to come but it felt like an eternity until he could see the familiare face.   
“HARRYYYY!”  
“Dele, come on, let's go!”  
“No, let's stay. Let´s dance!”  
“We can´t, I left Katie with the kids and I promised that I would help her today.”  
Dele made an disappointed sound and ut is arms around Harry's shoulders allowing him to move them throw the crowd and out. The night air was cold towards his face and Dele pressed his face into Harry's neck while Harry called for a cab.   
“Do you want to tell me what happend?”  
“No, I want to sleep.”  
The feeling of tiredness had taken over his body and he yawned into Harry's ear which made him jump a bit. The cab arrived and they got in, during the way Dele had a leg in Harry's leg and his head leaned against the window. The taxi driver was looking a bit to much into the rearview mirror. Dele tried to ignore it but the alcohol made it hard. At Harrýs Katie had made a bed on the sofa and Ivy made him company with a lot of toys that was absolutely hilarious. They played together with the barbie dolls.  
“Pain pills!”  
Katie gave him to and Dele put them in his mouth swallowing them with some water. Then he thanked Katie a bit to much because she picked up Ivy and didn't return for the rest of the night while he and Harry played fifa.   
“So are you going to tell me know. You know that I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong.”  
Dele bit his lip, he was lying on Harry's shoulder and had just lost the forth match. He felt like he owned it to Harry to tell him and the liquor was wearing of so that he was able to start thinking clearly again. The thoughts of what he done made his belly hurt.   
“I kissed Eric.”  
The words sounded horrid out load and hid his head into Harry's neck. Feeling like the cliche of a little girl. He was supposed to be grown up, why couldn't he just grow up and take the responsibility. No instead he had run away and ruined Harry's night off, which he needed, he was starting to get a cold. Harry put an arm around him and patted him on a leg.   
“Since Eric has called and expressed his worry for you I don't think he is so mad.”  
“Phff, of course not. He is in love with me. But I'm using him Harry. I don't think I love him, I certainly don't know at least.”  
“Dele”  
Harry sounded a bit sad and he leaned his head atop Deles and they sat there in quet for a while. Booths minds had drifted away but possibly in very different directions. 

^^^  
Dele was woken up in the morning but not by the resident of the house he used but his phone. He was about to ignore it and go back to sleep, his headache was killing him but then he saw that it was Eric and he couldn't help himself. He had come to an understanding last night.   
“Dele”  
Eric sounded relieved and Dele promised himself that was the last time he was going to run away from his best friend.   
“sickboy”  
He relied sitting up with a winzer. eric made a laughing sound on the other end of the phone and Dele´s headache eased a bit thanks to the sound.   
“I´m sorry…”  
“Me too, can you come home?”  
Eric sounded insecure and Dele regetted his leave yesterday again.   
“Yes”  
Eric didn't answer but Ddele really could feel his relief through the phone. He wondered were Eric was, if he was still in the bed Dele had left him. Eric was afterall injured and recovering from an open operation. He should NOT have left.  
“Actually, I'm coming home now directly!”  
“The alcohol has not left your blood yet.”  
“Harry told on me?”  
“You told him we kissed!!!!”  
Dele had no answer for that, no, when the alcohol at least didn't affect his slow working mind that much he did understand why that might have been stupid, but it was Harry. If they couldn't tell Harry, they couldn't tell anyone.   
“I'm still coming home, I'm taking the bus!”  
“It's the number 10”  
Dele actually had used the buss a lot when he was living with his biological mother so he didn't need to be told that but it was sweet of Eric to look out for him.  
“Thanks man, see you in a fart.”  
“I'm pretty sure that's not how the saying goes.”  
“Bye Diet!”  
Dele hung up and moved his body to make it wake up, his head was going to explode but he forced it to wait until he was on the bus, there he also texted Harry to thank him and tell him that he was going home. 

^^^  
“Eric!”  
Dele throw the door into his house open, yelling Eric's name lika crazy person.   
“Dele!”  
eric shouted back from the kitchen and letting his body and the decision from late last night take control he got into the kitchen, went straight up to Eric grabbed his shoulders and kissed him hard on the lips. Eric pushed him off him.  
“What are you doing?”  
“I'm trying a new tactic to get a grip on my feelings.”  
“Whaaaat….?”  
“Yes, so lets have sex.”  
Del pulled his shirt over his head and Eric started coughing.  
“Eric?”  
Dele grabbed one of his arms in worry. But Eric pulled away.  
“What are you doing Dele? We can't just have sex like that!”  
“Why?”  
“Because sex is a big thing!”  
Dele closed his mouth, Eric was allowed to have his own beliefs. But sex between two people how can´t result in a baby, that definitely didn't seem like something you had to think about beforehand.   
“Dele”  
Eric voice became soft, and he caressed on of Deles shoulder blades. Dele lent into the touched and met Erics gaze. Suddenly their foreheads was pressed together and Eric lips hovered directly over Deles own. Their breaths mingled while they were searching each others eyes.   
“So let's try a way between the two of yours. Let's try this but not jump straight into it and guarantee that we will have another day of no talking.”  
It sounded exciting and it was a way forward so Dele nodded and bit his bottom lip. He placed his arms around Erics waist and pulled their bodies together, contracting his muscles when the got in contact with Erics chest.   
“So how do we start?”  
Dele whispered and let his lips graze Erics cheek. Eric's eyes fluttered shut for a second before they opened up again and he met Deles eyes playfully.   
“Well, I do believe it is date number one first.”  
“Oh okey, now?”  
“Yeah, let's have a breakfast plan. I have made scrambled eggs.”  
They took seats opposite one another and Eric served like a real gentleman and Dele made sure to ask every possible question you could ask on a first date. Like favourite flower/food/color and Eric answered, in a flirtatious voice, everyone of them. Despite the lack of planning and luxurious food and clothes it was definitely up in the top ten dates Dele had been on. 

"Thanks for this, I would love to go on another date!"  
"Oh, really, well what about this weekend?"  
"Sounds good:"  
Dele jumped down from the dishboard and started helping Eric put dishes into the dishwasher. It might have taken a bit longer than nessecary because they were touching quiet a lot.


	11. Date 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Erics POV

Eric had a faint headache but he was happy; they had won against Arsenal and Dele was a big part of it and they were having their second date tonight. Right now Eric hadn’t planned so much of it yet but he had a base of an idea that involved the kitchen which, at Deles, meant he had to shop. There from his headache, the busses really as no fun and it had taken him 2 hours to get to the closest supermarket.   
There were a lot of people in the shop and he stopped a lot to take photos but it was okay and he was touched over the fans concern for him and al the Christmas wishes were warmly welcome.  
His phone began to ring and he had to excuse himself from a child to answer:  
“It’s Eric.”  
“Is it true you and Dele Alli are dating. I have sources confirming and would like if you would..”  
“We are not dating!”  
Eric hung up and turned back towards the child. Having someone calling him and asking that was a day to day basics but because of the fact that for once the reporters was on the right track he felt a bit of worry, thankfully the child helped him to forget it, she also helped him pick out the best chocolate and wishing Tottenham luck on Saturday. 

At Deles home, Eric could still not mot se it as his even If he he had nowhere else to be, he starter to pick out stuff they would need. Dele would be home in ten so he had to hurry. Lastly he put on some cheese Christmas music.  
“Eric!!!!”  
Dele came in like he always did, making Eric’s world stop spinning around Eric and instead focus of the dark skinned beautiful man now standing in the door into the kitchen, suspension written over his face as he takes in the scene.  
“What are you doing?”  
“I have prepared for our second date.”  
Dele still looked suspicious but he did put the training bag on the floor coming up to Eric.  
“We are baking?”  
“Yeah!”  
Dele but his lips and looked over the kitchen island.”  
“What are we baking?”  
“Christmas candy!”  
“Christmas candy…….?”  
Eric nodded happy and gave Dele an apron.   
“We are staring with fudge.”  
Dele nodded, to stunned to say anything.

“Don’t use that much sugar!”  
“But it’s candy!”  
“It doesn’t work like that, the cookies will melt in the oven!”  
Dele just pouted and removed some of the sugar.  
“Astris says that I should wish you an easy recovery and a Merry Christmas btw!”  
“I wish her that back!... except for a speedy recovery - that she can do without”  
Dele nodded, laughed and started to move around the ingredients in the pot while he put on the heat.   
“Wait, the cookies are not supposed to go into the oven.”  
“...no..:”  
Dele made face and poured in more sugar despite Eric’s protests.  
“Where are you celebrating Christmas?”  
“At home, actually they are coming to pick me up tomorrow morning so I have to wish you luck on the game tomorrow today.”  
Eric patted Deles head and put out a place to pour the doe thing. He was looking forward Christmas but he didn’t want to leave his and Deles current situation which he felt he did by leaving for tree days. He wanted to just spend the rest of his life watching Dele smile like he did right now.  
“Does wishing me luck mean a lot of kisses.”  
Eric followed the line of thought. Stepping closer and meeting Deles twinkling eyes. He took the pot of the heat and leaned in letting their noses touch. Dele made a whimpering sound when Eric pulled back without giving away any kisses.   
“Is kissing something you do on the second date?”  
“Well, yeah, I think Ruby and I had sex even before we new each other’s names.”  
Dele was grabbing for him but Eric backed away yelling that Dele was unbelievable and Adele opend his eyes looking a bit sour.   
“Oh, a bit disappointed Alli, what about you have some sugar?”  
Eric waved the packet around and Adele raised and eyebrow.  
“I rather have the other kind thank you.”  
Eric began laughing and came up to put his arms around Dele. Softly placing some kisses on his forehead. Dele rolled his eyes and pulled away to get back to the baking.  
“If you can’t take this seriously Dier then maybe you should give up.”  
Eric just mumbled back because he was occupied checking in Deles as which was really looking very good in those pants.  
“Dier, are you checking in my but?”  
Dele asked with a fake horrified voice then he pushed his as out making it even more visits or while he swung his hips in beat with the current Christmas songs. Eric got up to him, put his arms around Deles easy and let himself follow the movements enjoying their body’s moving and rubbing together. Dele messer a bit more with the poor now ruined fudge before turning around facing Eric and without a second's hesitation he let his arms go around Eric’s body and cups his but cheeks.  
“Your as is nice to.”  
Eric couldn’t help it, he moaned into Deles ear and Dele had the balls to giggle at him before turning back and starting baking like nothing had happened. They kept going like that for the rest of the afternoon and ended up with to players functional candy and a couple of pecks because you actually can kiss on the second date without it seeming to horny.

^^^

Eric had just watched the game against Everton and Spurs had been amazing and everything would have been great if Dele hadn’t been subd off at half time. Now Eric was worried sick and had been calling Dele for over and hour but still no answer. It just went to voice mail. It wasn’t until 3 am that Dele finally texted back saying that he was okay and that Eric shouldn’t worry. Eric texted back and asked why Dele hadn’t been able to tell him earlier and Dele said he had been on the phone with Astrid, for 5 houses the least! Eric ignored the jealousy and shut of his phone, he needed to sleep and that meant to not think about Deles mind or try to understand it because Deles mind was fucked up, that was a basic common knowledge and Eric shouldn´t overreact but he did.

^^^

Christmas went by in a blur and Eric probably ate to much atleast his dogs thought that was a good idea...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was only a short chapter for christmas but I hope it was enjoyable!


	12. Date 3

They had won against AFC Bournemouth but Dele hadn't played so Eric didn´t know if he was fully happy or worried over Dele, that feeling was starting to become a daily basis thing, worrying about Dele. They were back to talking and he was back in Deles home but out of the guest room and into another. A bit too early to move in together on a dating prospective, sure but it wasn't the real answer. The real answer had to do with Dele and his need to always have people around him, at least that was the explanation eric had gotten and he hadn't pressed for another one even if he believed there was more to it. Dele would play against Wolf today and Eric was watching from the sofa. The game had started well with Kane scoring a stunner but then Dele was subbed of and everything went downhill. They lost 3-1 and Eric felt empty. He stood in the hallway and waited for Dele how came home with tears close to falling down. They embraced in the hallway and Eric had to hold Dele up otherwise he would have fallen to the floor. Eric didn´t know for how long they stood like that, holding onto each other, until Dele finally took a shaking, loud breath and asked if Eric could sleep in his bed tonight. Eric just nodded and followed him up, still holding hands. This defeat mad him week for Dele it was like losing a body part, he put everything of himself into football so losing was... Eric hugged him again when they got into Deles room and they stood like that for awhile until Dele actually started crying and Eric softly kissed the tears away leading him to bed. They held close for the rest of the night and Eric didn't want to think about Deles reaction tomorrow when he would find his own crying embarrassing. 

^^^

It was New Years Eve and they were out by Big Ben together with Harry and a lot of people Eric didn't know. Dele was still not as happy as he should be but he was determined to win tomorrow and that was the focus. eric caressed his back while they stood amongst so many others waiting for the clock to land home. They were standing close to cops incase something would go wrong or some not so nice people would recognize them but so far so good.  
"We will come over on Wednesday Dele."  
Harry had been talking but Eric had not listened. Dele nodded and said that Astrid would come home on Wednesday and neither Eric nor Harry pointed out that Astrid actually didn't have her home at Deles. Eric wondered how he would be if he actually had to face something really horrid if this was how he got over a defeat, sure a big defeat but at the same time, not really. But it was better than when they had lost in the semis then he had looked himself in a room when they had gotten home and hadn't talked to anyone for a week. Dele put one arm around Erics shoulders and declared he was cooled. A person Eric didn't recognize laughed. The clock closed in and the countdown started. At twelve the fireworks started. Dele kissed Eric, in public, and Eric let him. Harry gave him a face that said that that wasn´t clever and Eric agreed. Dele tasted soft and worm and like his heart and for the rest of the night Dele was smiling. Well until they there driving home and he suddenly told Eric to stop driving. Applying Eric turned in to the side of the road and turned off the car.  
Eric turned and met Deles eyes. He awaited another break down and of sorts maybe it was but it was also everything Eric had ever wished for, everything he had ever desired and everything he had ever cared for. Dele told him he loved him. So easy and just like that and even if Eric understood that saying that wasn't as important to Dele as it was to him he couldn't help but take it to heart and they started kissing, and kissing and kissing and kissing. Only breaking apart to breath. Dele throw gaspes said:  
"Can I blow you?"  
And Eric throw gaspes kissed him again, his feelings in turmoil. Dele let his lips go down to his neck sucking on Eric's week spot and Eric leaned back a bit while putting the sensation of Deles lips against his throat in a bottle to save for later.  
"Diet."  
Dele let go of him and looked serious. Eric pulled at Deles sleeves to make their mouths connect again. Dele took of his seatbelt and landed in Erics laps before contenplaining him.  
There bodies pressed together, Eric placed his hands on Deles hips and pressed in the flesh there. Dele groaned and buckled his hips in response which made Eric almost lose his mind. His lips was getting sore but he found he didn't care and neither did Dele because he kept going, his body now really starting to move and Eric was weak everywhere. His pulse was so loud he could barely hear Deles pants and down his body, his grown was pulsating like crazy. Eric had his eyes closed so when one of Deles hands disappeared from around his neck he didn't think about it much until Dele suddenly grabbed him. Eric jumped and cursed and his entire body contracted with the feeling of Dele touching him there, Dele was nipping at his ear, his legs surrounding Eric hips and his other hand holding Eric still, so that he couldn't move too much, Eric opened his eyes and met Deles dark once. Dele bit his lips and pressed a bit down where and Eric moaned like he never had before.  
“Yes or no Diet.”  
Dele made a smacking sound with his lips and Eric's eyes almost rolled back in his head from pleasure but he pulled himself together.  
“Have you ever done this before Dels?”  
Dele shook his head and sat down, letting go of Erics private parts. Sadly that ment there lower parts met, sure with clothes in between but he could still feel Dele pushing against him. They both moaned.  
“What I mean is, like, what if you bite my dick of?!”  
“Thanks for the vote of faith Diet.”  
Dele sounded a bit sower but he didn't move away so Eric kept going.  
“And I don't think a car blow job is a third date thing…”  
That made Dele laughed and there bodies, which had started to cool down became al hot again.  
“Your date thingie is for old folks.”  
“Like me?”  
Dele giggled again and leaned in so that Eric became all ticklish thanks to Deles try to grow a beard. They kissed for a while again before Dele got back in his seat. Eric was going to start the car but Dele put his hand over Erics to stop him.  
“You are my best mate Eric, you are fucking extraordinary and wonderful and I love you even if you have now, officially, made me go celibate for the longest time ever.”  
Eric grabbed Deles hand and held it while meeting Deles eyes, to show him how much it meant to him to hear that but then he had to make a joke.  
“So what you're saying is that you're a sex addict.”  
Dele shoved him and put on his seat belt. Eric started driving home, while being forced to listen to too loud Dele music.

^^^

Dele´s mum and dad had just arrived. Harry had been here since one and had eaten all of Eric's chocolate but since Eric knew he should not have eaten it himself he should be thankful. Dele was a lot happier today, Tottenham had won yesterday and he was calm and secure in their capability again. Right now they were sitting around the dinner table, eating a fish Eric had just made, Dele was sitting beside him and now and then he would touch Eric in a very conspicuous manner. Eric could felt Deles parents looking at him now and then. He could feel teh accessing him. At last after two hours of point less talk Deles mum decided to voice what she saw.  
“Dele, i thought you and Ruby was dating.”  
Dele stopped eating and gave his brother a quick once over before looking at his mum.  
“We are…..officially.”  
His mother raised an eyebrow but his dad was faster.  
“Officially?”  
Dele dried his mouth with the back of his hand and sat up straight.  
“Yes, because unofficially I'm bi and dating Eric.”  
While saying it he grabbed Eric's hand but kept his eyes on his parents. Eric felt ill, wtf, you liking dudes was not something you just blurted out in the middle of a dinner, especially not if the person you are dating is there, and certainly not if you haven't told him before. It's Dele to an infuriating level which meend Eric gets mad but can´t for long. Deles parents look at each other and his mother takes the word.  
“Sweetheart, are you sure that's wise.”  
Eric prepares to start yelling, to defend Dele to hate these people in front of him for not understanding. She keeps going:  
“Living in hiding is never healthy, I understand that it is difficult to go out in public about loving a boy in your situation but officially dating Ruby sounds…”  
Dele´s mum goes quiet, watching her son. Dele swallows and says that he knows but it was the best solution. HIs mother looks like she is an disagreement but his father takes the word first.  
“Well, I'm lucky I don't have to spend another weekend with that girl. Do you fish Eric?”  
Eric opened his mouth to answer but no words come out. They just waved it away like that, he remembered telling his family, sure they had accepted it at last but it had been a lot of disagreements about it in the beginning. Nothing this easy, he hadn't thought it could be this easy.  
“Eric hats fish you should have seen his face when I made him cook this today.”  
“That explains why it tastes so good.”  
The entire table laughed and the pointless conversations starts up again now a lot lighter. Dele puts his hand on Eric leg and squeezes. Eric ignores him and tries to listen to Harry trying to impersonate a whale sound, he is not very good. Suddenly they are al interrupted by a door opening. Deles is up from his chair before anyone else had even understood the noise and he is out of the room when Eric finally understands that it is Astrid. Eric hear them talking in the hallway, he hears them laugh and joke and he knows he should get up but he is in no mood and then he doesn't have to because Dele comes dragging a lot of baggage and waved at them before disappearing upstairs and she comes in also carrying a lot looking down at her bag it takes a while for her to look u and when she does the smile she wore for Dele transform into a neutral but loving smile instead. She dropped the things she was carrying and comes forward to take hands and exchange names. Dele comes down when she reaches Eric and they hug then he comes up and when they let go he puts a hand on her shoulder blade. Which makes her looking up at him and smiling again.  
“It was very nice meeting you all, and I'm very sorry to disturb the dinner.”  
“It is lovely meeting you to my dear. You are studying law right?”  
Deles mother asks and Astrid nods and they chat for awhile, Eric is busy controlling his jealous even though he knew it is pointless, Dele has told his parents about Astrid…  
“Well, I´m very tired after the journey so I think I'll just pack up and go to bed. It was very nice meeting everyone.”  
Astrid smiles around the room before giving Dele one of her real smiles before picking up the stuff she dropped and head upstairs.  
“Such a lovely girl!”  
Deles mother says sths and pats Deles cheek when he walked past her to sit by Eris and they begin eating again. Harry hasn't said anything and he doesn't until his and Deles parents leave then he whispers to Dele.  
“Don't´mind mum and dad they are silly old foles.”  
Dele looks confused so Harry makes a couple of faces which makes Dele give some back and Eric understand they are discussing something not for his ears so he goes up. astrid dor is open so he looks inside. She is sitting with the bed as back with her head leaned back. Eric realizes she is sleeping and goes in to put her on the bed.


	13. Goal keeping

They were in bed. Astrid hadn't woken up yet and the clock was a lot so they hadn't been able to stay up any longer. Dele had been checking up on her like six times and now he was lying awake looking up into the ceiling. Eric put an arm around him and buried his head into Deles shoulder. They had slept in the same bed since the Wolf game and Eric was starting to get used to it. 

“Your parents took you coming out very well.”  
Dele gave Eric a look and then turned towards him.

“I´m sorry I didn´t prepare you, I actually forgot that they didn't know until we were sitting there and they were making confused faces.”

“They were so calm about it.”

“Yes, they don't really care about who I'm banging.”

“I noticed.”

They went quiet again but Eric started following the lines of Deles belly muscles with his fingers. He wasn't in a mood to sleep. 

“Do you think Astrids sick?”

“No… Dele she has probably been traveling the entire day and more than that.”  
He nodded and curled into Eric body shape, pressing together, Eric hand ended up on his back instead but Eric kept caressing. 

“I…”  
He faltered and pouted with his lips while looking for words. Eric kissed a wrinkle away and that made him smile. 

“Telling my parents so openly, I really liked that.”

Eric kept cressing knowing Dele had a point to get to.

“And I want that with us. With our relationship. Not that I care about going out to the media, that would be horrid but to tell our friends.”  
Eric felt sick by the thought. He tried to imagine their friends reactions to them dating. The looks and he pressed the thoughts away to be able to focus on what Dele was saying. 

“So I think I will beak it up with Ruby, you know.”  
Eric kissed Deles brow and couldn't hold back the smile. He found that to be something good at least. Living in a lie like that couldn´t be good for anyone, and he knew they didn't care for each other, he actually had thought that already from the beginning. That they only had one another for sex, they never had proper conversations and he knew more about them separately than they knew about each other. 

“I think that is a good idea Delboy,”  
Dele nodded against his chest and pressed his nose against Erics breastbone. eric pulled him close to him and wonderd if Dles feet were outside the bed since he was so much shorter. They fell asleep entangled.

^^^

Eric woke up early the next morning, he was sleeping atop of Dele which made it easy to get away without waking the sleeping beauty. He pulled on a new set of soft clothes and went down to make coffee. In the kitchen Astrid sat with a computer showing the newspaper and a cup beside. She looked up when he got down and he tried to ignore the perfect shaped face and the big blue eyes. How Dele could find her ugly he could not comprehend. 

“Good morning, how are you feeling?”  
She got up to grab him a coffee cup so he sat down. Saying he was feeling well. She pulled he hadn´t throw his hair while putting the cup down and sitting down herself. 

“So you and Dele finally…”  
He must have looked confused because she admitted having seen them in the same bed. Eric felt his pulse rise, why had she been in Deles room at all. He was a more private person than Dele and thinking that someone he wasn't aware of had seen him sleeping made him feel ill. 

“You are so cute together I just want to eat you up.”  
She sad is smiling but wasn´t looking at but at an article about Brexit. Eric realised that must affect her a lot but he wasn't in the mood for such a discussion so he didn't say anything. INstead he drank his coffee and got up to make breakfast. When that was done he yelled at Dele to come down and sat beside her again. Astrid smiled and said thank you for the foos and then Dele was downstairs. He hugged Astrid from behind like they hadn't done that yesterday and she turned and they hugged again he with his hands around her waist and she with her hands in his hair.

“Thank you for the cap. Now I know two words in latin.”  
Dele laughed and Eric couldn't help but smile. Dele used every opportunity possible to show Leo Fortis around, that was no secret. 

“And thank you for the goat.”

“Your very welcome”  
She said back and sat down again telling Eric it was really money but instead of giving Dele money she had used them to by a goat to an African family and given Dele the gift of giving. Apparently it was a way of helping poor people. 

“So tell us about you christmas Astrid.”  
Dele sat down and started eating and she closed the computers lid. 

“It was an ordinary Christmas with to much food and to little snow.”  
Dele grinendat that asn said that his and Eric christmases had been them limping around like crazy thanks to injuries. She replied with that that was the reason she had never desired to become an athlete. Dele looked wounded. 

“So what are we doing today?”  
Eric was looking down at his food but when no one answered he looked up and realised Astrid had been talking to him.

“What?”

“Deles is working but you are not right? So what are we doing today?”

Eric opened his mouth, then closed it again. 

“I was thinking a bookstore.”  
She said still looking at him, Dele made a sound.

“A bookstore Astrid. Are you for real!?”

“I promise they are better than libraries.”  
That she said to Dele and he made a face. Eric realizes that was a part of their relationship he hadn't been in on. 

“Why can't you come with me to work, I haven't seen you in ages and it will be fun. You can play with us!”  
Dele found that idea to be brilliant because he was starting to jump around while gagging about it. Astrid looked like she had swallowed a cat by the thought which made Eric think it was an amazing idea, even if he didn't know how Dele would get the coches to agree. 

“Yes, let's do that, I can sit on the bench, it was so long since I was at our training grounds.”  
Astrid gave him a wounded look but she shrugged her shoulders and didn't disagree so Dele got up and started yelling about things they need to pack. Astrid yelled after him to pack down one of her books. And Eric started to put things in the dishwasher, Dele started in a quarter and they were already going to be late no matter how fast they were. 

^^^

“Dele, ten minutes, ten extra rounds.”  
One of the trainers yelled as they arrived but when he saw Eric his face became a smile and he came up to say hello. 

“I was late because Eric was sleeping but I really thought he needed to come back so ta´da:”  
Dele waved at Eric but the trainer only gave him a look and Dele made a sad face and started running. The trainers eyes went from Eric to Astrid and he smiled at her as well. 

“Miss Andersson, are you working today, I thought you had christmas off.”

“Eric wasn´t the only one Dele forced with himself today.”  
She didn't sound happy about it but it was a joke behind the curtains and the Trainer smiled.

“So you are just here as a bench warmer as well. Would you mind helping working?”  
Astrid opened her mouth.

“Not working working but the goalies are away on special seccion and we could use someone in goal.”  
Astrid opened her mouth and Eric saw her looking at Dele, which made Eric to realise that Delle had knewn that and that was why he had said that Astrid could train with them. Eric shoved her in the side saying he could read her book while she was working so that it wouldn't feel so alone. She said she would work if he would do that so they shook and it wasn't until he sat down and was going to start reading that he realised it wasn´t in english. He put the book down and watched his teammates instead. Astrid had just come back from the changing room and one of the coches was talking her over wat she was going to do and how she should think. She didn't look so uncomfortable as Eric had thought. Probably she was happy about getting the chance to learn how to guard a goal and he wonders if Dele had thought about that to. Having a girl in gaol was really stupid and he could see some of the boys looking at each other insecure of they really should've shot as hard as they used to do. Eric hoped tehy wouldn´t. Deles rage is Astrid would be hurt would be horrid. How even come up with letting the most inexperienced person in the room stand i goal, that was just stupid. But then the first boll was kicked of and she caught it. With a high jump and with both hands, a perfect save. Eric relaxed, they were going to go easy in her. He nodded to the player how had made the shot which another saw and suddenly he had given them guidance to shot light and yes those balls were easier to catch but they were still not easy and yet she caught them all. With her hands and with her feet, it looked like she had never done anything else. Then they took a pause she was painting and seemed to be unable to get as much water into her mouth as she wanted to. Dele laughed at her and she throw some water at him in return before coming over to Eric to sit down.

“They went easy on me.”

“Yeah, but you are really good.”

“One of my best friends have a boyfriend who is playing professional.”

“And yet your knowledge is this limited.”

“Yes, but not anymore, he has drilled me over christmas. I probably know more than fotboll than he does now.”  
Eric smiled and moved so that Dele could be sitting down beside Astrid.

“You were amazing out there!”

“No one took a real shot.”  
She sounded a bit angry at that but Dele reassured her that they would not go so easy on her now after the break. She drank up the rest of the water from the bottle and started putting the goalies gloves back on which they had to help her with. 

“This is the biggest work out session I have had since PE ended.”

“Well then this is amazing for you, you should come tomorrow to.”

“Dele, tomorrow my arms will be so sore that I won't be able to lift them up.”

“Well, we are in the gym tomorrow so you can have an entire day for you legs.”  
She made a face but didn't say no. Instead she said that sure she would go if he would come with her to a book signing this friday. Dele agreed and said that we would come. They were already away out on the field before Eric realised Dele had promised away his friday as well. He wasn't as mad over that as he should. This time Astrid didn't manage to catch so many balls but she was still fantastic for an amature. Eric had a feeling they would want her in here when the goalies was away again but he wasn't sure she would agree. Maybe if they raised her salary. 

^^^

“You will have to carry me home.”  
They were outside the dressings rooms. One of her hands were a bit swollen and she looked like she was going to start yelling at Dele as soon as she saw him so Eric was prepared to work as a buffet. On of Tottenham female football coaches had been on the training and he was looking at Astrid with extreme interested right now. Eric was prepared to work as a buffert there as well. She was an unpolished diamond that would enrich the team without any transfer money at al. Eric know that Astrid was going to bite the coaches head of if he approached, or he knew she was going to do something to show that she wasn't liking this, the biting part was his imagination at work but it would be quiet nice. 

“Are you hurt?”  
It was Eriksen. He came up and Astrid seemed to realz and they started talking a language Eric had no way of understanding except through facial expressions. When Dele came out Eriksen had made her laghue so Eric relaxed a bit thinking that she may not kill anyone. 

“First time for everything.”  
THat was Deles first words and Eric wanted to bang his head against the wall.

“Yes, and there is a last time for everything as well.”  
It was unclear if she was talking about football, her and Christians conversation or her and Deles friendship.

“Book signing on Friday.”  
Dele reminded her and she pressed her lips together but followed them out before saying buy to Eriksen. The road home was quiet quiet except for Eric trying to make small talk no and then. He wondered if maybe Astrid was going to move out and the thought made him feel bad, he knew how much Dele liked her. The stopped outside a restaurant to eat and during the meel the mood seemed to relax except for moment like when Dele had to cut up Astrid foot because she couldn't use both her hands. Eric didn't really think it was correct of her to be mad, she had agreed to do it and Dele had not forced her. She shouldn't blame him. Dele thought the same and wondered out loud. Astrid simply agreed with him but said that she still wanted to be mad so she was going to remain like that until she wanted to be something else. That made both Eric and Dele laughed which first made her even a bit more angry but then she seemed to relax. Eric meet Deles gaze a bit later and saw that he had come to the same conclusion: PMS. That made them both much more calm to her outburst and somehow she felt she switch because she became calm aswell and they ate up in a much better conversation mood and when they left the restaurant all were good and nothing amiss. 

^^^

Astrid and Dele feel asleep huddled together on the sofa later that night and Eric wasn't in the mood to carry them upstairs so he just sunk down on Deles other side and feel asleep as well.


	14. Friday

“We need to hurry to the signing, if we get there to late the line will be enormous and neither of you will have time to go the the game this evening.”  
Astrid was rushing around the house while they were still on the sofa. Dele was still asleep but he looked so comfy on Eric's chest that Eric didn't have any desire to move him.

“Get up”  
Astrid roared and throwed some water over them. Dele woke up with a scream and Eric made a face over the water.

“What is it?!”  
Dele exploded.

“We are leaving, get you as up or you will not get to the game tonight.”  
Dele answered something groggy and hid his face in the crock of Eric’s shoulder. Eric wonders how Dele actually would be able to make it to the game at all. 

^^^  
Somehow Astrid had gotten them up, out to the car, convinced Eric to drive and then not stop at a coffee shop. Now they were sitting in a public amongs like 500 others and listens to an boring guy talk about boring stuff. Dele was sleeping on Astrid’s other shoulder and Eric looked over at him no and then wondering why they put Astrid in the middle if she was going to listen. Eric didn’t think and put his arm around Astris shoulders to be able to play with Deles hair. Dele made a sound and shuffled around. He should eat but was making a bad prioritizing and since Astrid was between them he couldn’t do anything about it.

“When is this done?”  
He whispered in her ear and she gave him n irritated facial expression and turned back. Eric leaned back and moved his hand down to Dele’s neck. The boring man kept talking and Eric to was going to claim one of Astrid’s shoulders then a girl came over, she was walking bent down and smiled very nice when sitting down in the empty seat beside Eric. Eric suddenly wished he hadn’t looked for an place to avoid having people beside.

“Can I sit here? My boyfriend is coming and he would see me very good here.”  
Eric nodded only softly but could not relax anymore, he also made sure to move his hand away from Dele who still hadn’t woken up. He could see in the corner of his vision, Astrid looking displeased about the girl as well. They say quiet for a while and Eric started to relax again but then the boyfriend came. He was actually really hot, dark skinned and tall and he started up by smiling at his girl and telling her something but then he looked up and met Eric’s eyes and his forehead got al wrinkled. Eric could see his eyes going from Eric to Astrid how was still looking at Boring and further to sleeping Dele, on Astrid’s shoulder. Eric cursed in his head, sure they thought about not showing his and Deles relationship out in the open but Dele sleeping on not his girlfriends shoulder would be suspicious as well. And sure the guys eyes went from Dele to Astris and from Astrid to Dele a couple of times.

“Dele?”  
The guy didn’t sound like a fan he actually sounded worried or wounded and his voice made both his girlfriend and Astrid to turn towards him.

“Dele????”  
Said his girlfriend while Astrid shoved her elbow in Deles stomach. He sat up, eyes wide and turned to Astrid but something in her face must have given him an explanation because he relaxed and turned to look at Boring as well. Eric hater when Dele and Astrid read each other’s facial expressions it was stupid but he was jealous, they had only knew each other for a couple of months. Eric’s line of thoughts were erupted by Dele how had lifted his eyes and meet the boyfriends.

“Abeo?”  
There is pain in Deles voice and Astrid touches his hands as support and he lets her while getting up.   
“Dele drags her up as well so Eric goes up and followed while Dele pulls Astrid after him towards and exit he doesn’t look behind him even though the boyfriend is yelling his name. Outside Dele goes directly to the car and starts to pull in the door handle, since the car is locked the door doesn’t budges. 

“Dele.”  
Astrid voice is Madelyn soft and she places the hand he is not holding on his back. A sound Eric would think came from a panic animal escapes him and he stops pulling the handle but doesn’t turn around.

“Eric, please open the car. We need to go now.”  
Eric is about to argue but Astrid turns and gives him a look that says no arguing so he does open the car. Dele makes an reliefs sound and pulls Astrid in before him and then getting in himself and closing the door. Eric goes around to the driver front seat and sits as well. Dele is looking straight forward not acknowledging either of them but he holds Astrid hand in a tight grip. She doesn’t say anything about it but puts on a seatbelt giving Eric a look again telling him to start driving. Eric wonders if she knows what is going on. It is a quiet ride too the training ground where the bus will pick Dele up later. Eric doesn’t know if it’s wise to let Dele get on the bus alone but he doesn’t say anything when they enter the cafeteria. At least Dele has let go of Astrid and she has started chatting in that easy way that puts no dempand on them to talk to keep up the conversation. On of her better traits. Some teammates are actually there and with them Dele is in normal wonderful self and Eric is very confused but acts his part without saying anything. They will have time to talk tonight. 

^^^  
Dele and the rest of Eric’s teammates have gotten on the bus and are on their way to face Tranmere Rovers and Eric hopes they will win. Astrid is sitting beside him in the front seat studding her hands.

“Do you know what that was about?”  
She asked after they have driven for a while. Eric just shakes his jeans and asked the question back but she has no idea either. 

“Do you think he wants us to talk to him about it?”

“No.”  
The rest of the ride back to Deles place is quiet. There Eric puts on the right channel for the match and starts pick stuff up from yesterday since they left in a hurry this morning. Astrid starts helping him but she is not talking and Eric can see that she is chewing on the inside of her cheek. When the game starts they sit quiet down and start watching. She is sitting very close, almost leaning into him and it just became a obvious to put his arm around her. She leans her head him his shoulder. During the first half they sat very quiet but then Aurier scores and Eric shouts in happiness which makes Astrid laugh and during the rest of the game she sometimes asks about the rules, sometimes about the arena and sometimes about the players and Eric answers. They actually have really fun, she is impossible to dispose when she is giving you all off her attention. In the end it is a very good evening and they get ready for bed together. 

“When does your school start?”

“Wednesday.”

“When we have to make the most of the rest of your holiday!”  
She has touthpast all around her mouth when she turns to smile at him.

“Like what?”

“Well, since I have lived here most my life I know all the official good things you have to see and the unofficial sadly I don´t think unofficial is your thing so lets start with London Eye?”  
She giggles but says she doesn't have money for London Eye. Which makes Eric jke about Dele moving her in with him tt lessen her economic trouble and she giggles again and tells him she has had no income for al of christmas and wondering what she actually earns at spurs, without an actually proper education in the matter. Eric reminds her that now with her brilliant Goalkeeper skills she could get into a business with much more money. That result in her throwing a mixture of spit, toothpaste and water at him and he yikes. 

“But come on, I can pay, like a late christmas present.”   
She grimaces at that and changes the subject. Eric makes and decision, he will show her the wonders of London, not because he really fancies them himself but because it would be fun and since Dele is working they have nothing else to do. 

They walk together to the bedrooms and she says goodnight with a smile. 

^^^  
“Eric, Eric!”  
Astrid is shaking him awak She sounds worried so he calms himself and wonders what it is.

“Dele didn't come home last night!”

“Oh, don't worry about that, is was probably easier to stay in a hotel.”  
Astrid sits down on his bed and looks at him. Eric gives her a reassuring smile while his insides are being smashed together. Where are Dele? 

“Have you tried calling?”

“It goes to voicemail.”

“I'm sure it is nothing to worry about, he will come home today and you will have wasted a perfect morning worrying about nothing.”

“But since the book signing…”  
Eric just gets up and says they should make breakfast which gets declined because she already has. 

“Then let's go and pick up my dogs. Dele is a grown up, he can take care of himself.”  
Eric says it while thinking that if something really bad had happened, sure Dele would have called?

“Dogs?”

“Yeah, mine, I have had them in a dog hotel because of my surgery but I think it is time to bring them home.”

“How do you have time to take care of dogs?”  
She sounds suspicious and he reminds her that he has a lot of money so paying someone to look after them is not very hard. She seemed to accept that and after Eric has eaten they get into the car and drive towards Erics babies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, now the plot is beginning to form. Hope its not to messy and confusing and that you are enjoying it!


	15. A mess

Dele was cooled into the bone and was shaking like one of those shaking leaves. They had won the game he had captains and that made him happy but the panic from seeing his brother had put him into and haze he couldn't break free from. Going home had seemed wrong so instead he had let his legs go where he wanted them to after arriving back at the training center and now he was standing outside Ruby's apartment house. He had to break up with her so it wasn't a bad thing. Dele went in and up and rang the doorbell. He heard laughter inside and he was about to turn around and run but the door opened and Ruby was looking up at him. He saw confusion but then her face became a big smile and she even gave him a peck on the lips.

“We are playing truth or dare. Come on in if you join otherwise fuck of or fuck Eric or wagged we it is that you do nowadays.”

Dele just followed her in. There were five other people in the living room he didn’t recognize any of them but they shouted his name so he smiled and acted like he knew them. Ruby placed a drink in his hand and dragged him down in the sofa beside her. He wasn’t really awake in his own body not really but she began moving her hands a bit everywhere.

“What are you doing?”  
His voice was angry but he said it so low nobody else heards.

“Sorry, but you look gorgeous in the kit.”  
Dele looked down on himself and realised he was still wearing the match clothes which was odd, he was certain he had changed. 

“Okej, Mr Alli truth or dare.”

“It's Dele.”  
Ruby's hands stopped charessing and he could feel her eyes on him, he refused to look at her but meet the questionnaires eyes calmly but hard.

“Okey Dele, truth or dare?”

“He wants a dare.”  
Ruby answered for him, probably worried he was going to get angry or something. 

“Kiss your lady.”  
SOme others buuhed about how boring that dare was but Dele felt his gut drop and regretted coming here, why was he even here? Ruby grabbed his shoulders and pulled him in for a kiss. It wasn't a small one either, she pressed her tongue in and started playing around in his mouth, it was something familiar and comfortable so he let his own tongue meet hers up and they kept going until the sound around them disparead and someone finally said that the dare was a kiss and not a snog. Dele pulled himself free but gave her one more kiss because he couldn't help himself and she had calmed al the voices like so easy. Why had he even decided to give her up, there was a reason she was his girlfriend and that reason still existed. The game went on but they didn't ask him much maybe because Ruby was in his lap and his mouth was busy leaving marks on her neck… They were still half entangled when Ruby's guests left and became even more so when to door closed behind them.

“Bedroom”

“Yeah.”  
Dele put his hands around Ruby's thighs and lifted her up, carrying her into the bedroom and laying her down before him but something stopped him from bending down. A dark laugh in the back of his head, a shadow taller than him.

“O god, Eric!”  
Dele backed of, hit the wall and checked his clothes for a phone. Of course he didn't have one. Ruby was sitting up and looking so angry that he just bailed out from the bedroom and out he door. It was even colder than before but someone asked if he was okej and he asked back if he could borrow a phone. He couldn't but the person could call someone for him. He didn't know neither Erics nor Astrid numbers so he told his sister, knowing she would not be pleased about that. Half an hour later, with the nice stranger staying by him, presumably very confused, his sister's car stopped. Dele thanked the stranger with every nice word he knew before he got into the car.

“What has happened?”  
Molly didn't sound so happy but he actually usually didn't call her begging for help so she couldn´t be that angry. 

“I saw one of my brothers.”

“Oh, Dele that doesn't meen…”  
She took his hand and squeezed it.

“You know that is not true. I don't know what to do.”  
He held his head in his hands and felt the warmth starting coming in his flesh.

“Are you in game clothes?”  
She suddenly seemed to realize and he nodded telling her they had won 7-0. 

“Oh Dele, do you want to sleep at my place?”  
He nodded and leaned back in the seat pulling his legs up for more warmth. She put up the temperature. Eric was probably sick with worry, Astrid wouldn´t know if he was coming home so she would be okay but Dele felt very bad about Eric but after what he was just about to do with Ruby… he just could not face Eric.

^^^  
Marias place wasn't a mansion but it was warm and comfy and her boyfriend was already asleep which ment Dele could just curl into a ball on the sofa without having to act. Maria patted his head and kissed his cheek before going to bed herself. Dele heard her and her current love exchange some words before everything became quiet. The fear he had carried with him so long he could remember was heavy and painful and he didn't know how he would find the strength to leave the house tomorrow, he didn't know how he had found the strength to manage this day as well as he had at all.Dele couldn't sleep for the entire night.

^^^

The next morning his sister was up very early wondering if he wanted her to drive him home before Theo woke up Dele how was so tired that standing up seemed like a fairytale aksed instead if she could drive him to the training grounds, he needed his stuff and could only hope that someone had brought it from Prenton Park. She didn't look like she thought it was a good idea but agreed after he told her she cold tell mum and dad. As the only girl in the family she had a love for doing that. 

^^^

At the grounds ha actually found all his stuff, the people giving them to him looked worried and asked a lot of questions but he manage to get out of there without being ordered to go to a psychiatrist so everything was good. Out in the car, Maria was done with her phone call and she told him that if he needed to he could start the entire weekend at mum and dad´s but Dele declined feeling like he needed to talk to Eric even though the thought of going home to mum and dad was really really tempting. Molly stopped outside his house around 1 and Dele kissed her goodbye and went in. He was attacked by two large dogs and Eric yelling and Astrid laugh, they had apparently not missed him which made him want to run away again. But Eric got the dogs away and pulled him into a fierce hug before kissing him multiple times on the mouth before stopping right before Astrid came into vision giving Dele a look that said, she thinks you being away over the night is normal. Dele was shocked that she had cared enough to even ask about it. 

“Don't stop the cuddling on my account.”  
She said it lighty but Dele saw on the way she held her shoulders that she had been worried as well, Eric wasn't a good lier - to no one's surprise. So Dele let on arm stay around Eric and put another around Astrid smiling down at her. She made a face and asked if he had showered before pulling away and joining the dogs in the living room, Dele was sure it was to let him and Eric speak. Dele had already prepared the speech.

“I will not tell you about the book signing expect that it messed with my head really messed with my head so much that I went to Ruby last night.”  
Eric became stiff and Delle hurried to continue. 

“We kissed a lot but then I remembered you so I bailed and had to borrow a strangers phone to call Molly and then I sleep on her couch and today we went and got my stuff. I´m sorry Eric, I´m so sorry and I really hope that you can forgive me because I love you and I know that it is not fair of me to do this but I'm me and I can't change.”  
Eric looked so confused and in need to absorb the information that Dele stopped himself and went in to Astrid to cuddled with the dogs for a while before Eric came in as well. Just bending down to kiss Dele on the lips and then disappeared to the kitchen. Dele took it as he was forgiven but knowing Eric would probably forgive him for everything it didn´t lift his bad conscience. He looked at Astrid, meeting her kristall blue eyes, they were calm and unwavering and he wondered what he had done to deserve her as a friend. 

“I was a mess yesterday.”  
He got quiet, waiting for a snarky comment that had been there better since she got back but didn't receive one. He meet her eyes again, they were still calm and reassuring. 

“The guy at the signing…”  
Dele got quite regretting this, he never talked about his family, never ever because it felt wrong to give them place in his life, they didn't deserve it. He changed the subject.

“I was a mess and I did a lot of bad things that I don't know if i deserve to be forgiven for. I think Eric is just forgiving me because he loves me.”

“Do forgiving have to be for one reason all the time?”  
Her voice was soft and her eyes still calm. Dele scooted closer and pulled her into him feeling her wrap her arms around his neck and bury her fingers in his hair. 

“What I did was very bad.”

“Yes, probably but do you know what Dele?”  
She pulled back a bit so that she could meet his eyes. 

“I think every action that you are regretting must be considered forgivable and I also think there is a reason for us having to ask other people for forgiveness.  
She said it calm and gave him a very small smile.

“And for the other matter, about the boo signing boy, you know you can talk to us whenever you are ready okey?”  
Dele nodded against her shoulder and pressed his nose into the crock of her neck. 

“Since when did you and Eric become an “us”?”  
Astrid giggled at that and dragged her fingers through his hair before hugging him for real again. 

“Since you weren't here and Eric was very scared of Mr. Boh.”

“I'm not even going to ask how that is.”  
Dele answered and pulled her up standing with him. They shared a small secret smile again before joining Eric in the kitchen.


	16. Drivning

“Btw why are you never driving?”  
They were having dinner and Eric had just blurted the question out then he thought it.

“You have a driving license right?”  
Astris nodded and smiled.

“But I don’t dare to drive at left.”  
Eric’s baron clicked, most of Europe drove on the right side but Brittan didn’t but it wasn’t so hard changing over as Astro thought.

“Well you have to try, we will teach you after dinner.”  
Dele got excited over the idea and Astrid didn't seem to bothered by it. The plates were soon empty and they started cleaning up. 

^^^  
Eric had driven to a big road were there usually wasn't much traffic and switched place with Astrid. She was actually a bit excited and did manage to start the car in the right way. She stared to drive out from the parking space and drove up on the wrong side of the road which made Eric scream and Dele laughed. Astrid got a motor failure and had to restart the car before driving over the road to the over die.

“This is so disturbing!”  
She didn't look or sound like she found this funny. The rest of the road when well but when they reaches a crossing Eric talked her throw it because he didn't want to die. Dele wasn´t as afraid and had rolled the window down to stretch out his arm. Astrid asked about how she was supposed to look which rules applied in crossings in general and Eric started teaching but soon he and Eric ended up in a debate about some rules they had forgotten thanks to time. The came up to a traffic circle and Eric worked her calmly throw it and they manage easily. 

“This is making my brain spin.”  
Astrid sounded happy in her statement and Dele claimed she was ready to drive into the city again. He also said he had gotten VIP tickets to Fabric and that they definitely was going tonight. Eric only nodded and let Astrid make al the disappointed sounds she could before having to focus again. Dele just said that they were going because he needed to drink without people around him judging. Nobody said anything to contradict him. 

“Try parking there!”

“I'm not going to try to park like that, I don't even know how to do that at home!”

“Coward!”  
Dele giggled and said that London only had that way of parcin because here was to many cars. Astrid told him he was incorrect and then they drove around for two hours looking for other ways to park, without success, until they gave up and Eric directed her home with some small errors that only caused a lot of trouble because of all the traffic. In total she did a very good job. 

At home Astrid asked when they were leaving and then went straight to the soffa to bury her head in one of the dogs furs. 

“I have an idea Astrid! I will pick your outfit!”  
Dele throw a bottle on her and she mumbled an answer. Eric gave Dele a face and Dele whispered back that she at least had to look like a bit descent for Fabric otherwise they were either going to be thrown out or to much watched which meant they could be recognized. 

“Astrid!!!!!”  
She sat up and claimed that if he combined red and pink she would kill him. Dele answered with that some nuances of those colors together actually worked before dragging Eric with him upstairs. Eric wondered it he should remember Dele that Dele actually was the only fashion interested person in this household. Del had already poured out Astrid entire wardrobe when she got herself upstairs and landed on bed beside Eric.

“Do you think he will clean up after himself as well?”

“No”

“You have so much clothes!”  
Dele sounded really happy while he started to throw things in different piles. After that he shoved a lot back in the closet and started actually looking at the clothes. There were no expensive stuff that Eric could see but he had kind of already known that. Dele looked up at them at a paus.

“Astrid, make up!”

“I only have some mascara that takes less than half a minute.”

“Only mascara!”  
Dele sounded a bit devastated which made her laugh before turning over so she lay on her belly instead. The covers were gray and made her eyes look a bit more secretive than usual. Eric smiled at her and put some of her hair behind her ear. Dele made some disapproving noise from behind them and Astrid rolled her eyes while grabbing Eric arm to pull it around her which resulted in there bodies pressing together. There was a moment then Eric got lost in the blue of her eyes, a moment then he thought about kissing her and a moment before Dele throwed someone over them and told them to get a room which made Astrid say they already were in one, he was just disturbing them. Eric didn't feel comfortable with were they lead the conversation so he sat up. Astrid stayed with her head angled looking at Dele. After half an hour:

“I have it.”

“Applause?”  
Astrid sat up a bit wingly she had fallen asleep which had been quite fun. The clothes. It was a backless, tight black dress with black strappy high heels.

“How long did it take him to find that?”  
Astrid sounded confused. Eric just rolled his eyes and got up the find his own clothes, thanks to Dele they no had only half an hour before they had to go. Dele ordered Astrid to flatten her hair before following. 

Eric had his things in a room fathers away so Dele told him to wear something good before going into his own space. Eric took a black t-shirt and jeans. 

They worked really well but made him look a bit odd beside Astrid and Dele. Astrid was standing looking at her back in the hallway mirror with a face that said she wasn't very happy. She hadn't done anything with her hair which made Eric feel like he fit in a bit better but the dress brought out her curves. He wondered if he and Dele would have to spend the entire night holding guys of her or if Deles plan was to get her laid. 

“Astrid are you driving?”

“NO!”  
Dele laughed and said that then they had to call a cab which came 5 mins later. In the car Dele put his hand on Eric tight and Eric put his hand top Deles. 

“Did my clothes disappoint?”  
Eric wondered in a low voice.

“Yes, luckily you are so sexy otherwise...”  
Dele smiled playfully and bent in to meet Eric lips. The kiss was soft and Dele didn't put any heat into it. Eric knew Dele really wanted to take their relationship to the next level and it really made him happy that despite that he was ready to wait for Eric to catch up. 

The cab stopped and Astrid made a whimpering sound when she saw the crowds outside.   
“Drive around that corner so we can go in the back way. There is no phones in the club.”  
Dele told the driver and Astrid. 

He did drive around and they got of and inside were a man scanned Deles tickets without looking at them he was to busy ogling Astrid and she didn´t notice because she was busy looking at the crowd inside. Eric put an arm around her and gave the guard an angry look. They got waved throw with staples on their arms showing that they were VIP. 

Dele led the way straight to the bar and didn't hesitate about buying six shots directly. He and Eric did them together while Astrid scanned the club, she really really didn't like it here. 

“Why are you so against night clubs?”  
Dele screamed in her ear and she turned and screamed back hat she wasn't but just didn't feel like she could relax. Eric pulled them both toward VIP knowing it would be easier to relax there. There were around 20 people in there, Eric recognized to many faces and saw that he got recognized as well. He claimed an empty table and smiled at Astrid. She grimaced back and rubbed her nose before Dele came back with more alcohol an a big glass of water. From which she drank without worry, Eric started to understand why she might not like nightclubs. Dele gave him his favourite drink before emptying another tree shot glasses and getting up.

“Who will join me for a dance?”  
Astrid met Eric's eyes and told him to go with her own. 

“Don´t drink anything anyone gives you, don´t move from here and scream if you feel anything is wrong!”  
Eric faced her seriously and she nodded with a smile, apparently not taking him very serious. Dele dragged him away before Eric could tell her anything different.

“Aren't you worried?”  
Dele actually used to worship her so why…

“She is a grown up, she can take care of herself. You seem to get on very nicely.”

“Dele, that in the bedroom. It wasn't what it looked like!”

“What, oh, no, of course not. Astrid doesn't fancy you.”

“What, why how can you know that?”

“Okay, i don´t know that for certain, I just know she doesn't want to shag you and the rest. Well I'm not the right person to judge about that right?”  
Eric wondered when Dele and Astrid had had time to talk about shagging him but they had come out on the dance floor and the music was to loud for them to keep talking. Dele started following the crowds jumps and soon he was singing and moving his head around with closed eyes. In the blinking lights his features were intoxicating and Eric only moved with the music a little, busy memorizing how Dele looked. The music changed to something less jumping and more moving and Eric saw a girl checking in Dele so he moved closer placing his hands on those hips and started following the movements as well as he could. On Deles lips there tugged a smile and but his eyes were still closed.   
Slowly Deles arms ended up around Erics neck and he dragged his nose and then his mouth over Erics throat and beating pulse before turning around and fittign his as against Eric grown. Erics hands still on his hips clasped harder when Dele started moving, very deliberately turning him on. Dele reached back and put his arms around Erics neck again. Eric placed his head beside Deles and saw that his eyes were still closed and his lashes shadowing his cheeks. Dele was possible the most… 

They kept dancing and moving and Eric knew Dele could feel he had a semi, new he should feel embarrassing but Dele just kept moving, for each move pressing a bit harder with his bum. Eric had never liked dancing but let's just say he was prepared to change those ideas. If every dance was like this he would never stop, but the song did and Dele opened his eyes, turned around and faced him. Eric's hands slipped and was dragged over Deles belly, Eric could feel him flexing through the fabric, the muscles hard. Dele pressed their bodies together again and there lower parts pressed together, Eric could feel the effect that had on Dele. 

They were standing in a sea of moving bodies looking into each others eyes like their lives depended on it. Dele put his arms around Eric again and pressed even harder, thrusting his hips forward a bit. Eric pressed his forehead against Deles and bit his bottom lip. 

“Was this the fifth date Delboy?”  
It didn't sound so romantic being shouted the loudest he could to make Dele hear him but he could still see the pupils getting a bit bigger. Eric moved his hands from the hips to the back and down, finding the butt muscles already hard, ready for him to squeeze them. 

“Toilett?”  
Deel sounded out of breath, out of thought and out of mind but Eric nodded and followed without breaking body contact. That wasn't easy in a crowd this big. 

The toletts was not the nicest Eric had ever seen and he would probably have given up the idea if Dele as soon the door was hatched hadn’t pressed their lips together and actually started devouring Eric who got pressed into a wall. Probably because Dele wanted his clothes to get ruined so he couldn't wear them anymore. Eric answered the kisses as well as he could but they were sloppy and mostly Dele missed his mouth, how is a mystery even to Einstein. Eric had move his hands down Deles body again, the irresistible back muscles and the curv and then the bum, Eric wondered if he had a bum fetish. Right no he didn’t care and pressed Dele against him. Dele had left his mouth completely and was working from Eric’s cheek to his ear were he bit down. Eric moaned and leaned his head back against the wall leaving Dele access to his throat. Dele dragged his tongue from Eric’s ear down to his Adam’s apple and then he found a weak spot and made Eric make to much sound. Eric pulled Deles mouth back to his own and they started kissing again. 

Suddenly Eric felt cold on his belly and he jumped high at Deles hands travelling inside his shirt. Dele giggles at that and started caressing. Eric wined his fingers in to Deles hair and kissed a line along Deles cheekbone. He was breathing to much and tried to find composer. 

“Can I blow you know Diet?”  
Eric’s breath hitched and his cock twitched which he knew Dele could feel because he moaned right in Eric’s ear. It was one of the most wonderful sounds. 

“Diet?”  
Dele was breathless as well. Eric didn’t know how he would be able to decline but having their first sex in a shitty toilet was just a no.

“Not in here Dels.”

“Why?”  
Dele sounded like a child. Eric wanted to ask why he was so obsessed with the thought of a blowjob but he wasn’t going to complain about that. 

“Because it is dirty in here and since I presume you have never done it I would have to work you throw it and I don’t think that it is enough space in here.”

“Old man, Ruby and I fucked in toilets like this al the time.”

“Speaking of that. We should probably get tested before doing anything as well.”  
There Eric had killed the mood. Dele backed away, his trousers still a bit tight but not for long. 

“Testing, fuck… why are you so grown up? Of course testing is a thing…”  
Dele rubber his forehead and Eric decided to not say that this was the first he had thought about it. 

“We should probably get back to Astrid as well. She definitely thinks we have bailed on her by now.”  
Eric felt a bit bad and agreed but pulled Dele in for a couple of more kisses but got waved away and followed out. They walk out and the music was still so loud and the crowd was still so big. Dele hold his hand while moving throw it and into the VIP section. Astrid was still sitting at their table but a blond bodybuilder was there as well and he was sitting opposite her, she was laughing but the smile became even bigger when she saw them.

„Finally my companions, did you walk to the Greenwich or something.“

„Nah, just the toilet.“  
Dele answered sitting down, putting an arm around her surveying the guy. The guy didn’t seem intimidated but only nodded at Dele and asked if Astrid would finally go and dance with him. Astrid who had turn to Dele looked back to him and opened her mouth and declined. Apparently she wasn’t that interested, the guy didn’t seem to take the hint and stayed so Eric had to sit down as well. The conversation was led by Astrid how always seemed to have something to say no matter what. Soon Eric had lost interest and was looking at the other people sitting here. Some was looking at him to. 

“We should play a game.”  
The guy suddenly changed subject and Eric jumped high. 

“Hey, will you guys join us for a bit?”  
He said it to five people by another table how looked at each other one got up and the rest followed. 

“You playing in the England team right?”  
On of the girls asked Eric and shouting and applause came when he nodded. Dele jumped in when they started sitting down and Astrid ended up in his lap with his arms around her. Eric awaited more questions about the whole football thing but they were apparently not that big fans. 

“So what are we playing.”  
A guy asked.

“Spin the bottle!”  
Bodybuilder answered while his eyes were stuck on Deles arms around Astrids waist. ERic suspected that was the Bodybuilders brilliant idea to get to kiss Astrid, presumably he hoped for even more. One of the girls laughed but shrugged and went to grab a bottle. She ended up in Eric’s arms and he tried to place his hands in a gentleman way but still make sure she wouldn’t tripp and that was very difficult. 

“Mr blonde is first to spin!”  
Another said and a guy laughed. The bottle ended up on a new comer how had to switch sitting places as a dare. That was such an easy on that Eric relaxed. 

“So are you al in the football business?”  
The girl in his lap asked and he nodded watching the bottle spin again. He wondered if Astrid was enjoying this but since she was in Deles lap, he could probably take al the spins and everybody would just think that he was an overprotective boyfriend. They actually looked like the perfect couple, somehow highlighting each other’s beauty which made them hard to look at, especially when Astrid giggled at something Dele had whispered. The bottle stopped on them in that moment and Astris giggle died. Dele leaned forward as to show that he would take it and said dare. The girl answered with: 

“Kiss!”

“Who?”  
Dele asked playing dumb.

“Your chick!”  
Dele made a gesture over Astrid as a final question and the beorderer rolled her eyes saying yes. Dele bent his neck and kissed Astris on the cheek which made her give away a sound Eric didn’t know how to interpret. Deles turn to spin and it landed on another newcomer and the game continued. Eric watched Astrid face and for a person how was so extremely physical as Astrid was she hadn't reacted in the way Eric had expected. He remembered Dele saying she wasn't interested in shagging him and his thoughts went further but was interrupted by a dare. 

Eric got tasked with sitting down and let a girl perform a lap dance on him, after having just danced with Dele, Eric was really not impressed. After another while Astrid got up and whispered something to Dele how nodded and got up too to follow. Eric looked after them as they disappeared just like Bodybuilder. 

“Are you having a thing for the blonde girl to?”  
The girl in Eric’s arms asked and he shook his head which pleased her. 

“You are playing professionally to right.”  
He nodded and wondered to himself which international didn’t.

“For which club.”  
She bit her lips and looked at him through lowered lashes presumably trying to be seductive. 

“Tottenham Hotspur, we are third in the table at the moment!”

“That’s amazing. Maybe we should change number and you could teach me more about your job?”  
Eric agreed because he didn’t want to hurt her feelings she was after all sitting in his lap. The bottle landed on him and he was told to ask a man over by the wall for his number. Eric declines and happily lost the game, he excused himself and went to the dance floor to look for Astrid and Dele.  
It took a while until he found them, they came from the toilets, Dele had an arm around Astrid waist and they were making big gestures. A lot of people turned to look at them and Eric was very grateful it was a phone free club. He reached them and pulled them towards a dark corner out of the public eye. Then he realized they were having fun and not arguing. Astrid whispered to Eric:

“He is very drunk!”

“Yeah, but not death!”  
Dele answers loud, to be loud in a night club was an achievement. 

“Have you had enough fun?”  
It was Eric’s way of asking if they should leave but Dele throwed his arms around Eric and kissed him hard, nodding in the kiss before backing away and throwing an arm around Astrid again looking down at her.

“Have you had fun Astrid?”  
She smiled and asked if they needed to call a cab. Neither Eric not Dele knew but they got answered outside were a lot of cabs were waiting. 

Astrid, like always, fell asleep to fast that Eric had to carry her in with Dele paying the driver. She mumbled something when he pulled a cover over her and removed the shoes. Dele was in the door frame waiting and he turned the light of in her room before grabbing Eric’s arm and dragging him to the closest bedroom. Eric followed like a puppy. 

“What about getting tested?”  
Eric asks hesitant.

“Fuck that!”  
Dele pulled of his shirt directly inside and turned towards Eric, his eyes are questions and Eric answers with a kiss dragging Dele with him down on the bed. Their legs get tangled and breaths hitch as they kiss and kiss and kiss. Eric lets his hands move over Deles torso, feeling the muscles and the warmth. Eric moves his hand further south and hikes his fingers in Deles trousers which makes Dele shift under him and stop with the kisses.

“Should I take them off?”  
Ha askes leaning back with his head pressed down into the pillow. 

“Nah, not yet, I want to kiss every part of you before that.”

“Then get on with it, we don’t have the whole night.”  
Eric laughs and moves his mouth from Deles lips and start trailing kisses down. At the throat he leaves a hickey before going lower finding a nipple which he takes in his mouth to suck on. Deles whole body quakes under him and Deles eyes are pressed closed shut. Just because, Eric moves one of his hands done and cups Deles cock. He can feel it coming alive under his hand but the rest of Dele got stiff by the touch. Eric kisses Deles mouth again and asks if he should go on. Dele only nodes, like he can’t form words anymore. Eric goes back to his kisses and lickes Deles abs, circling the navel before letting his tongue skim the trousers border. He repeats the way a couple of times with some different stuff before finally sitting up beside Dele. Dele opened his eyes though it looks like he doesn’t want to. 

“Are you sure Dels?”  
Dele meets his eyes and this time he answers with a yes. Eric slowly, while watching Deles face for discomfort, open the bucket and pulls the zipper down before grabbing the pants and slowly dragging them down Deles body and throwing them somewhere in the room. Deles boxers are tight and the erection is clearly visible. Eric lifted his eyes and meets Deles dark lustfull ones. Dele reaches out a hand and Eric let's Dele pull his body atop Deles. Eric is still fully clothed and the contrast suddenly becomes very clear. He takes off his shirt to lessen it. Softly he moves his hands over Deles chest, following the ups and downs while watching Deles face change by the touch. Eric thinks he can do this forever watching Dele find pleasure by his touch, it’s intoxicating. Eric bends down and kisses Dele in the lips again. Deles hands goes around his waist, fingers moving over his flesh before digging in. 

“Move.”  
It’s not a question and Eric applies. Torturously slow he begins to move his body over Deles and he sees Dele ace his body for more touch before reaching up to pull Eric down atop him. Eric goes down but holds his weight up with his hands, he is a lot heavier than Dele despite the very small height difference.   
His blood flow are starting to concentrate and soon they leave their thought behind and start moving for real, both trusting and meeting and Eric think he might lose his mind when Dele screamed something along the way that he is coming, despite it, Eric stopped moving. His entire body feels strange, foreign. His body is contracting and he understand that he is not far away either. Dele is under him, still moving , thrusting upwards toward a non existent friction. Eric pulles of his pant a bit wobbly and the boxers goes with them before settling back over Dele. By the feel of him naked Dele makes a sound and bites down into his hand meeting Eric’s body with his hips. Eric kisses Deles mouth and Dele kisses him back holding him down with arms around Eric neck. They kiss for a while before one of Deles hands goes down in between them and finds Eric cock. Again Eric loses all sense of reality and his whole body is focused on the sensation of Dele touching him. At the first feel of Deles finger against his top, Eric comes with a scream and a stutter and suddenly they are all covered in come. Eric is shaking, he is seeing stars, feeling every cell in his body dance a victory dance and he collapses atop Dele without being able to help it. Dele runs his fingers throw Eric’s hair kisses his forehead and mumbles stupid things that are suppose to help Eric regain composure. Eric doesn’t think he ever will. Feeling bad for maybe stopping Deles breathing he moves off and presses his head into a pillow. He just came without anything, Eric tried to laugh, to joke with Dele about it but he is to tired. He can barely keep his eyes open and beside him he hears Dele laugh about it before he gets up from bed and disappears. Eric is about to get up, to follow, he never finished Dele of but his legs won’t hold him and when Dele comes back his boxers show no excitement.

“Here.”  
Dele gives him a towel and sits down on the bed watching Eric clean himself.

“You never came!”  
Eric says it watching Deles faces, there is a grin on it.

“No, because I made you come like so hard that you totally fainted!”  
Dele sounded very proud of himself and Eric realized he would be hearing this forever. In response he threw a pillow at Deles head. And then the towel which landed on the floor.   
Dele looked at him and raised an eyebrow. 

“Come and cuddle!”  
Eric opened his arms and Dele actually climbed in and hid his face in the crock of Eric’s neck. They fell asleep entangled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very long chapter, hope it was to your liking!


	17. A day in London

Eric woke as always up way earlier than Dele so he untangled himself and looked at Dele when he curled himself into a ball and kept on sleeping. Deles training started in half an hour so he would have to wake up soon, Eric put the alarm on his phone on and put it on a table of sort so far from the bed that Dele would have to go up to get it then Eric went down. Astrid was as usual sitting and eating breakfast with the news infront of her. 

“Everything went okay?”  
Eric stiffened, wondering what she was talking about, sure there was a big possibility of her having heard them tonight but why would she ask about that.

“Yeah sure…”  
He answered hesitantly and she replied with good and with the fact that there was coffee in the maschine. Eric pulled out a mug.

“Dele worked today.”

“That's sad, this is my last day not working. How about you?”

“I could go to training and start, will probably follow Dele there and be there for an hour to start building up my strength again but then I will go home because too much training will make me ill.”

“You were to active yesterday maybe:”  
She remarked and Eric had to say something.

“I´m sorry you had to hear us yesterday, we will try to be more quiet next time.”  
Astrid gave him a confused look and Eric wanted to bang his head against the wall, the was talking about the dancing and the late hours not his and Deles sexytime. Her forehead became flat again when her brain catched up and she said with a it of a sting.

“I'm not talking about your and Deles sex life, good, I didn't even know.”

“So you didn't hear us?”

“No, this house is very big and it is not like I lay awake waiting for it.”  
Her voice has become a bit amused and Eric can feel himself relax.

“Waiting for what?”  
Dele comes in in soft clothes and he looks absolutely heartbreaking. They kiss when he comes up to get coffee as well. 

“Your sex talk, which I will not be listening to. See you in two hours Eric!”  
Astrid gets up and takes her coffee and computer with her. 

“She heard us?!”  
Dele turned from her now empty spot to Eric.

“No but I thought so and apologize and then she pieced it together.”

“She must have a very bad hearing, you were quiet loud.”  
Deles eyes shine mischievous and he smiles, Eric blushes and pores them both a cup of coffee before moving to the living room, he doesn't want to have a table between them if there are about to talk. Dele apparently agrees because he ends up in Erics lap with an arm around Erics shoulders. 

“So about yesterday.”  
Dele jumps a bit and looks down at Eric with wide eyes.

“We are not really going to have a sex talk are we?”  
He sounds like he wants to run out the window.

“No, I just need to say one thing and then we will have to speed to work.”

“I thought girls were the ones who liked to talk.”

“Dele”

“Fine, what is it.”

“Yesterday was absolutely amazing, you are amazing.”  
Eric begann and made Dele look at him. Dele smiled at him but he still looked like he wanted to creep out of his own skin. For someone how liked sex as much as Dele he did act very childish, Eric didn't say that. 

“I just feel very bad for just…”

“No, Diet come on. We will have a thousand more moments like that If you are so desperate you can wank me off on the way to work come on!”  
Dele pulled to get him up but Eric put his arms around Deles waist and hel stuck.

“I just want to tell you that I love you and that I would never hesitate to do anything with you.”  
Eric made Dele look at him again and Dele met his eyes showed his displeasure before nodding and kissing Eric on the mouth.

“So let's go to work now?”

“Yes, let's go to work now.”

^^^  
Eric trained separately this time from the team, he had tried to go just in there but it had tired him out so he got a trainer by himself and followed the ordered drills until time was up and he went to change in the changing room. The others had a break and was playing UNO, Dele smiled at him and Eric saw a very purple hickey on Deles throat and he felt panic in the gut before remembering that Dele could just blame Ruby for it. 

“Are you already leaving Diet?”  
Dele asked like he didn´t know and some other teammates looked up. 

“Yeah, slow but steady recovery.”  
Dele nodded and Eric left, taking the car without thinking about how Dele would get home. 

^^^  
Astrid was coming back from walking the dogs when Eric drov ein on the driveway and he rolled down the window and made them completely crazy. 

“What are you going to do when you start to work full time again?”  
Astrid asked coming closer when Eric turned of the car.

“What do you mean?”

“The dogs can't be alone for so long.”

“Usually I have someone to come and take them out sometimes during the day.”  
The answer pleased her and she started moving towards the door with the dogs.

“Put the dogs in and then we ca go for a ride.”  
She turned around yelling she had to change clothes first and Eric realize she was in a pyjamas still. 

He sat down in the car and waited, 10 minutes later she came out in jeans and a hoodie with a jacket in her arms. Astrid got into the passenger seat and didn't turn up the music but turned it down. Eric wonders how she manage to be in a car with Dele, oddly he had never heard them argue about it. 

“We are going to ride the London Eye.”  
He declared it when they had to park the car to walk the rest of the way and over them Thames. 

“I don't have any money Eric!”

“Christmas present! Please Astrid, it's you last christmas day!”  
She searched his face for something, apparently was pleased with the results because she agreed to. 

On the way they walked past Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and then they were in the line to buy tickets. A lot of people were taking photos of them and Eric was thankful that Astrid had changed clothes. Otherwise the media would wonder what was going on.

“Are you okay Eric?”   
A man asked and Eric nodded saying that he was fine and would soon be back completely again.

“Was it Dele that did cocaine?”  
Someone asked and Eric looked at Astrid for an explanation she shrugged her shoulders and pulled him with her because they were stopping the line. 

“Dele is doing drugs?”  
Eric asked Astrid after they had paid there tickets and ended up in the movie room. 

“Why would he do that?”

“Because…”

“Eric, honestly are you saying that a stranger would know that better than you?”  
Eric went quiet but he wanted answers to he picked up his phone and googled dele cocaine. as famous you soon learn to never google yourself but sometimes it can't be helped. After reading a while it was clear then someone in the english team had done cocaine and got thrown out from a nightclub.

“It's not Dele.”  
Eric whispered to Astrid and she replied with good and then the movie of stimulation or whatever was done and they got out to the line for London Eye. 

The ride took an hour but Astrid was in a brilliant mood and it was really funny, she made him point out different places he new and talk about them and then she joked about something with ants that Eric didn't get but she was funny and they had a blast. Afterwards he took her to the next bridge instead because there was bookstores by Trafalgar square that would make her happy. Turned out many bookstores meant they had to visit them all despite her not buying anything. When she was done they walked walked towards Big Ben but made a turn and walked up to look at Buckingham palace. Astrid giggled herself horse by the way the guards looked and moved around. Apparently they didn't do it like that in Sweden. Lastly they went in and ate pizza and then Eric drove them home. 

^^^  
Dele hadn't come home yet so they decided to take the dogs for a walk and then start a movie.

“Nothing scary.”  
Said Astrid and Eric agreed. In the end they watched Sherlock Holmes because neither had seen it and Astrid claimed that Benedict Cumberbatch looked interesting while Eric tried to figure out how you had to look to be described as interesting

“How would you describe y look then?”  
He couldn't help but ask.  
She turned and really looked at him. It was an odd feeling knowing that you was looked at for your look and nothing else. It felt very objectifying. Astrid laughed and said:

“You have the lonely stalker kid look with that beard”

“Lonely stalker kid, wow that's a look I wasn't expecting to check the box for.”  
She laughed even more and turned so that she was sitting with her knees in his lap. 

“That was my way of telling you to shave away a bit of you beard. Soon you will leave lonely stalker kid and go over to scary mass murderer.”  
Now they both laughed. Eric liked having beard, it kept his face warm and Dele made funny noises when he got tickled with it but he didn't really want to be a mass murderer. 

“Describe Deles look.”  
Astrid pressed her lips together thinking. 

“Scared puppy.”  
Eric wrinkled his forehead.

“Scared puppy?”  
Astrid needed seemingly pleased with herself, then she wrinkled her forehead to and he awaited a change.

“But his beard is actually words than yours so we should probably convince him to shave.”

“What do you have against beards?”  
Eric asked and he looked at him her eyes big and steady but them they became all warm and she started laughing so hard she had to hold her belly. It took awhile for her to regain herself

“I'm sorry you just have something on you cheek, it looks very funny. What I have against beard, I just don't like it, I don't like hair in general.”

“Where is it?”

“On your left cheek, no, no, there.”

“Don´t like hair, ot to be like that but you have most hair in this households human population.”

“Body and facial hai.”  
She corrected herself.

“You still have it on your cheek.”

“Where.”  
Eric leaned in to let her remove it but it was something that had to be cleaned away because she was occupied for a while. During that time he watched her face, teh high cheeks, the big eyes, the slim neck. He wondered if she had ever considered modeling but turned down that thought. Astrid would sure like modeling the first day when she learned the profession but then it would bore her to bits. 

“So, all clean.”  
It sounded like a victory and her voice made Eric turn a bit to quick towards the sound and their faces ended up very close. She smiled bright at him and Eric wondered when she had gone from only giving Dele that smile to give them both it. He wondered if…

“I´m home!”

“We´re in here! Guess what we did today!”  
Astrid shouted back only moving her face. Dele came in and didn't seem to think a second that they were sitting to close but only throw himself down in the sofa as well.

“What did you do?”  
He asked a bit out of breath and Eric realized he had been forced to take the bus. He didn't say anything though because Astrid had started go through their experience and she did it in av ary good way with gestures and different voices and suddenly it sounded more like a fairytale than an ordinary day in centrum. Except for then Dele interrupted now and then with a joke or a attention claimer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Astrid and Eric gets closer with very bad english and some misses in the grammar section.


	18. Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I have chosen to mention a litle bit of abuse in this chapter, it is non grapich but a warning non the less. I aslo have changed the line of events and taken my own touch on what happened. I don´t want to spoil anything but I just wanted to make that warning and point out that the reaction and violence is from my imagination but the thing causing it apears to have been real.

He thought he saw his mum, he might have seen his mum. What if she was outside, what if she was to take him home, claim him again. The fear and panic was heavy in his back during the entire Chelsea game and he couldn't think, couldn´t act, couldn't feel the joy then they won the first leg of the semi finals. mention of past violence not graphic  
Dele sits down on the stair and looks out over the parking space, he doesn't move, nothing matter. Dele was scared of going outside when he was done changing, sure he just had to walk over to the cab, but it was far and Eric wasn't here, Harry was in interviews and the rest, e didn´t want them seeing him like this so he bit his lip and went outside. The cab was on the other side of the asfalt and he was going to sprint but some fans stopped him asking for pictures, he felt bad for being so unfocused during the game so he agreed constantly throwing a look over his shoulder. When he was almost done he did just that and his heart stopped, his mother was very much standing there, in the flesh.

“Dele. Dele it's me!”  
She said it like she thought he wouldn't recognize her, like his hole boyd wouldn´t go apart by her voice. He backed away from the fans and run to the cab, after him he could hear her voice screaming his name. He pulled the door shut and told the driver to drive. Pressing his hands to his ears and closing them shut. His hole body was shaking.  
The cab stopped outside home and he paid and went out, it wasn't until he couldn't see it anymore and finally was alone that he broke apart. The panic attack came over him and put him on his knees in the snow, made him blind made him lose contact with himself. Dele wondered if he would die.

^^^

“Dele, oh no, Dele!”  
Astrid is grabbing him, pulling him, he feels a dull pain in his cheek and he realizes that she has hit him, she is still talking, yelling, trying to pull him up. He helps her but he can´t feel his body for the most part and what he does feel is tpain, like thousand needles. Somehow, despite all that, she manage to get him inside. The heat hurts even more, his fingers are impossible to move his head is spinning and then pain makes him want to sink to the floor and cry but Astrid pulles him with her to the bathroom and turns on the water in the tub checking the temperature. He still can't feel either legs or arms. She checks the water again before turning to him and start trying to undress him. Dele doesn't understand why, he is cold, removing his clothes won't change that but he doesn't stop her, not even when she hickes his pants done and pulled them of, his clothes lands in a pile on the floor and Dele sees that they are completely white and stiff, like he was a snowman. The water level has risen and she helps him to get down in the water, it is not as hot but the heat still causes Dele to pant in pain when his stone cold limbs faces the warm water. She sits besides him, holding onto his arm and shoulder, still in outside clothes, when Dele thinks about it he thinks that the door is still open. He still can't speak. His face has begun to hurt as well. He sinks lower down into the water.

“Dele, please, you have to tell me what is going on.”  
The worry in Astrid voice hurts more than the warms water of which she has just heightened the temp on. He loses contact with himself again when he thinks about what she wants to know. He can't tell her. She seemed to realize he won't and goes up. He makes a sound and reaches for her but she comes back directly with towels.

“Can you feel all of you body, it's important Dele, a cold injury can mean you have to amputate entire body parts. Should I call an ambulance.”  
Dele shakes his head in panic. Thinking that would be the worst possible solution. 

“Can you feel everything then?”  
She shakes him when he doesn't answer and Dele makes himself nodd. Astrid removes her overcoat and puts a towel around Deles shoulders which are over the water. She touches his forehead and he leaned into her touch.

“Please, Dele, let me help you!”  
She whispers it, he can hear the pain in her voice, the worry. He wont tell her but its not right to keep her in the dark either. 

“My phone.”  
It hurts to talk but she is up and starts to go throw his clothes, finding his phone she comes back and sits down on the other side of the tub again. He tells her his mums number and she dials. When mum answers he tells her to tell Astrid, hoping his mother will understand what he means. She does.

“Dele, as you must have seen, is not mine and Alan's biological son. Actually my husband was originally Deles coach. Dele was already then a big talent but it didn't demand a genius to understand how horrid the home situation was. Sometimes he would come to training in a t- shirt and shorts in the middle of the winter, sometimes he was so skinny we considered driving him to a hospital for them to give him nutrition but the worst days way when he came with bruises and cut wounds, saying he fell down a stair or something.  
Dele and Harry had always gotten along well and they were thick as thieves so when Harry came home yelling one day that we had to get Dele away from home, we applied. We found him...”

Dele couldn't listen anymore, ha was starting to regain control of his body and hearing mum talk brought back memories he had done everything to forget. Instead he focused on the sound of the water, on Astrid breathing, on her fingers in the hand he was holding. It wasn´t until he heard her say think you and saw her put down the phone that he started listening again. He had expected anger and fury but her face was calm steady and strong as always and he started crying without being able to help it. When she came forward to hug him he pulled her into the water with him and pressed her into him like his life depended on it. She hugged him back just as fiercely and only losing her grip when feeling he had come back to himself. 

“Dele.”  
She put her hands around his face looking deep into his eyes. 

“Are they following/harassing you?”  
Dele took a shaky breath.

“Mum was waiting for me after the game.”  
Astrid hugged him again pressing their foreheads together. 

“I know it is silly but I just panicked!”

“Dele.”  
She made him look at here again, here eyes filled with warmth.

“Your feelings are never silly. Never.”  
He took another shaky breath and tried to not let water fill his eyes. He was still not warm but she was starting to feel good in his arms and not causing any pain. 

“You are bathing with clothes on.”  
He couldn't help but to say that, she pressed her lips together.

“Dele, I found you sitting in a pile of snow at the temperature minus 10 degrees celsius, without any proper outside clothes, this is not funny.”  
She pushed him in the chest a bit. Dele nodded because he knew he had no right to put her throw a scare like this. An hour later and he might actually had had to amputate a body part. Dele put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, making her legs straddle him. 

“You might have saved my life. A proper superhero.”  
She smiled and did the superhero pose before pressing her hands against his chest again.

“Dele, don't, you don't have to act strong. You were so affected that you was on your way to die. Don't make that unimportant.”  
He was going to explain his feelings he really was but suddenly his eyes became al watery again and he buried his face in her neck letting the tears out, now they were more from her being kind and understanding.  
hey sat quiet for a while, holding onto each other. He new she would not leave until he wanted her to and that thought made him cry some more. What had he done to deserve knowing people like this. 

He started to get real feelings back, started to be able to focus on other things, like how god she felt against him and he backed away from the hug directly after that thought. 

“Let's get up!”  
She said it standing up in the tub, telling him to stay while she got clothes. When he dressed she turned around for him to change his underwear but then she was back, helping his still shaking and weak body to dress and then she put him in a thousand blankets and put him on the soffa, turning on al the elements in the room to max. The she made hot cocoa and sat beside him, she had changed clothes as well even if Dele had no idea when she had done that. He pulled his arms out of the covers and pulled her into his lap, it calmed him, holding onto her and she pressed her face into his shoulder. They sat like that for what felt like a very good eternity before she suddenly jumped up.

“Dele, do you have your bio mums number. I think I will call her as your lawyer to tell her to stay away and then we go from there, okay?”  
It actually sounded like a good idea and he gave her the number following her when she went for a phone and then started walking around the room in waiting for the call to get picked up, it did. 

“Hei, Mrs. I'm calling as Dele Alli's loyer. I can easily put it like this, if you ever come near him again we will sue you, you can also expect a court order about visiting limitations by at least 100 meters. Is everything understood?”  
They kept talking for awhile but Dele really didn't want to hear his mom's voice so he tunned it out and came back to focus first when Astrid was on the couch again. He pulled her into his lap. 

“I'm so grateful for having you in my life Astrid!”  
He said it to her hair but she looked up at him in the middle of the sentence. Smiled and leaned back.

“And I´m so grateful for having you in mine. Just know that I will always take you side no matter what!”

“Even if I blow up a airport?”

“Even if, even though I will need a bit of an explanation.”  
He hugged her tightly again and took another sip of his cacao. They sat like that until Eric came in and then the only change was that Eric ended up in there boll of hugs as well, he didn't ask what was going on, maybe Astrid had texted him not to. Dele didn't care. He felt warm for the first time in a long while.


	19. Weekend

It was friday and the entire house was a mess, apparently Astrid had an important school dinner tonight and she prioritised the over everything. Dele was lying on top of Eric on the sofa. Now and then when Astdi would pass them, usually in a new dress, or with new shoes or a new hair style they would echange a look and Dele would hide his face in the crock of Eric s neck. They were also very excited over tonight, for the same reason as Astrid… or not, but sort of. She was going to a dinner and would be away from home, that meant Eric and Dele would have teh house for themself tonight which was rare. Eric was affected just by thinking about what they might do. A phone started buzzing and Astrid came jogging down again, this time in a long tight dress that had a cut so one of her legs were visible. Eric looked at dele again but this time Dele didn't look back his eyes was stuck on the ringing phone and he didn't relax until she had said hello to an unknown persons name. He had been like this since the last game and Eric was not going to askm he wasn't!   
Instead he let his hand go down Deles back, following the lines of his shoulders, spine, hips. Dele looked up at him, moved a little so that their bodies came closer before kissing Eric on the mouth and lying back down again. Astrid throwed a apple on them and asked if she looked okay. Dele told her to put up her hair in a side bun and away she went again.   
Eric continued his hand movements and let after a while his hand in under the shirt continuing caressing there. Astrid came down again after a while, this time with her hair done, makeup on and shoes in one hand and bag in other. She spun in front of them before looking at the phone again. 

“I can drive you.”  
Dele looked up and reached out a hand which she came up and took.

“Nah, it's fine. Jack has promised to pick me up, probably only to see your house but.”

“Are you using my celebrity status?”  
Dele summoned playful and she laughed and said that yes, that was the only reason she was living her, o use his celebrity status. 

“Should I atleast pick you up?”

“I will be very late and I think it's best if you get some sleep.”  
She patted Deles head and went back to the kitchen counter. 

“Yes, because me and Eric having the house alone will really involve me sleeping.”  
Dele relied a bit dry before moving a bit to lie more comfortable. Eric wasn't sure what he felt about Dele being so open with their sexual relationship but since Astrid didn't start pushing around in the matter he decided to drop it. She came back and Dele lifted his feet so that she could sit on the other end of the sofa. 

“Your nervous?”

“A bit.”  
She pulled up Deles socks while answering and looked outside at the road. Dele kicked so that she let is feet go and climbed up in a sitting position. She turned towards them and smiled. Eric didn't really know what this dinner ment or what would come from it but she usually did not stress about nothing so he pushed Dele in she smal of his back to go to her and make her forget it for the moment. Dele one scooted closer and leaned forward, taking eye contact. 

“You are going to blow their minds tonight Astrid!”  
She waved at him looking away again and Dele reached out to pull her into a hug just as her phone made a new sound. Suddenly he was back in Eric's arms he relaxed when Astrid said it was Jack, he was outside. Dele followed her to the door. It felt like they were protective older brothers or something. 

Dele came back and put his arms around Eric neck. His dark eyes were not happy like a week ago and Eric wanted that worry or sadness to disappear. He just didn't know how.

“Should we eat?”

“Dele nodded sitting down by himself on the sofa and starting the telly, finding a game. Eric got up and started putting together something in the kitchen. He came back with to plates and they started to eat while watching gogglebox. They had started after being on it themself and for Eric it did bring up some memories of turmoild feelings. They had eaten up and Dele was clinging onto him again while watching and turning smiling at Eric. 

“Netflix and chillin.”  
Dele said it and patted Eric on the head the same way he had done then but now there was something under the words, a real offer instead of just jokes. Just like then Eric put a hand on Deles thigh and moved it up a bit more than he had then. Dele placed his mouth on Erics neck and licked before blowing some air over it. Eric turned towards him and raised an eyebrow. Dele smiled.

“Keep watching the telly Diet.”

“I rather watch you.”  
Dele posed in a silly way and they both laughed. Eric turned back towards the telly, knowing Dele was watching him with his big brown beautiful eyes. 

“Diet…”

“If you say you want to give me a blowjob one more time Delboy I am going to bully you and you oral fascination forever!”  
Suddenly Dele was in his lap, kissing his lips, mumbling in his ear that that was fine. Maybe he had an oral fascination. Having Dele in his lap made it impossible for his body to not react to that voice and he rolled his eyes and started meeting Deles kisses. They were hungry, hard and soft and crazy and so so much Dele. 

The program runs to and end and so does there air so they have to stop to pant. Dele is pressing his entire body into Eric and Eric feels like he might explode if his clothes aren't removed soon. His hands are definitely a bit shaky.

“Bed?”  
Dele noods kissing some more. He is pressing into Eric somace and the feeling in terrifyingly amazing. 

They brush their teeth on the way to the bedroom and both losses their shirts as well, wonder how…  
Deles bed is not made up and they shuffle around to find a comfortable position before Dele is over him again, kissing nipping in his bottom lip. Erics hands are on Deles hair, pulling in it pressing their mouths harder together. Dele pulls down his trousers and Eric to and they start kiss kiss kiss. Dele lets go of his mouth and starts moving down. Finding a nipple to suck on and Eric is a mess under him, his body wanting pleasure and not capable of doing anything else. This time he promises himself to work afterwards, Dele is grabbing into his boxers, asking if it's okay. Eric's reply is to pull them down himself and actually scream when Dele licks him. Dele chuckle before putting the tip in his mouth. The sensation is overwhelming and when Dele start to move his mouth up and down Eric cant stop his hips from moving, from showing his cock into Deles wet mouth. Not even the fact the Dele slips sometimes and scrape him with his teeth stops the sensation. 

“Dele…. Del … Dele I´m goooing to...come..”  
Eric pants it, with hands holding onto the bed for dear life, his body pulsing. Dele doesn´t stop and Eric comes into his mouth, hard, painfull. When Eric is done, Dle licks him over once again before coming up. eric pulls him into a kiss, its slow and a lot of tongue and he can taste himself in Deles mouth. Sometimes during the kissing Eric gets his hand around Deles cock and start to work it, playing a bit with the tip, its intriguing to see Deles face lose control and just become a map of pleasure. Eric kisses the parts of Deles body he can reach without having to let go of watching Deles face. He can see the muscles twitch when Dele comes closer to his orgasm and he memorizes the sounds that he has never heard before. Afterwards they are both covered in come and Eric gets up to shower but Dele pulls him down again.

“Don't you dare Diet. We have this night and we are going to use it.”

“We are?”

“Mhm, come on. Dele pulls Eric down atop him spreading his legs and hooking them stuck around Erics hips looking up at him. Eric looks down. He can feel Dele being hard under him again and he rolls his eyes bending down to kiss those plum lips. Deles hands went to his back and he pressed Eric down on top of him his hips moving to meet the friction. Eric only started to move as a reply and soon they were panting messes again. After that Eric actually pulled Dele up from the bed and dragged him into the shower. The cum adn started to go stiff on there bodies and it took a lot of rubbing to get it off, after that they had sex once again in the shower and then once more on the floor before actually starting to change the bed. When that was done Dele snuggled into him, pressign there bodies together. 

“Satisfied?”  
Eric asked.

“We can go another round if you want to.”  
Dele yawned into his shoulder and Eric put an arm around him. They fell asleep.

^^^  
The next morning Eric was woken up by the bedroom door being opened. Astrid blonde head popped in and she surviewed them, presumably looking for a sign that Dele was awak.

“Astrid.”  
Eric whispered hoping it would make her go away, it did the opposite and instead she came in and climbed into the bed lying down on Erics other side. She was still in yesterday's clothes but the makeup and her hair was a mess. 

“How did it go?”  
He asked it with a low voice to not wake Dele.

“Well, I think the dinner went good.”  
She turned so that she was looking up at the ceiling, her voice not containing any sort of happiness. Eric pinched Dele how shifted around a bit before mumbling Eric's name and letting his eyelashes flutter. He started smiling at Eric and Eric was sure he was going to make a dirty comment but his eyes moved and landed on Astrid and nothing came out from his mouth.   
She turned and saw that Dele was awake before looking up at the ceiling again. 

“Did…”  
Deles voice, there was fear in it. Astrid was sitting up in an instant saying no with a steady and stable voice. Dele relaxed again and Astrid fell down, once again, onto the bed. Eric really wanted to know what that had been about but he forced himself from asking, if he needed to know they would have told him.

“Then what is it Astrid?”  
Deles voice had gone back to sound sleepy. 

“I just very much dispace myself at the moment.”  
Dele opened his mouth and then closed it again, Eric didn't really know how to reply to that either. It sounded very depressing for a night that had gone well. She turned and faced them. Smiled but the smile turned suspicious.

“Am I lying on your sexdirty linen?”

“No, we changed them, you should say thank you.”  
She didn't, just made a disgusted face and satt up again.

“I'm making breakfast.”

“Astrid wait!”  
Dele shouted but she was already out the room and he said a foul word before kissing Eric on the mouth and pulling himself out of the bed. His body was glorious and naked and Eric would have jumped him if he hadn't known that Dele really didn't want it at the moment. Dele left the room. Eric picked up his phone and started to get throw the nights activities. Apparently Juan had gotten engaged, lucky him. Eric wondered if he would ever. 

^^^  
They lost against Manchester United on Sunday and that was sad, incredibly sad. Dele was a mess and now Harry could be out for a month and Sonny would be gone. Eric had nothing to say as comfort and Astrid was so deep into a school assignment she didn't even now there had been a game. Eric did his best, but it wasn't enough and Dele went to sleep with his back towards Eric that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School has started adn I can´t write so much as durning winter break, I hope I will be forgiven and that the chapter stilll was okay even if if almost didn´t take any steps forward into the story, I have a tendency to stall but I will try to do better, especially now when I don´t have time to post as much.


	20. Game, win, game, lose.

The game had started and Eric had just come on, it wasn't going well, the score sheet was 1-1 but Dele wasn't going to give up, they would make it without Harry, they had to. But then the accident happened and everything went to hell, it was, as always, his hamstring and he felt the panic, the sorrow and the disappointment surround him from the managers, from his teammates, from himself. The tears was behind his eyelids and he could do nothing except blink them away and hid his head in his hand, against the ground, under a hood. He was ruining their chances, why hadn't he been more careful. They put him on the bench and he watches his teammates work and work, it would be for nothing. As if a higher power had heard him and decided to go against every certainty he knew Winksy scored and they were okay for now.

If only he wouldn't have gotten hurt, they were facing Chelsea on Thursday and he wanted to cry again. Astrid was sitting up front and she took his hand went he walked by, he squeezed back before moving to the middle of the but and leaning his head against the window. Eric came up to him and sat down beside him, Dele shifted and rested his head on Erics shoulder instead.

“We will work throw this Delboy, I promise you!”  
Dele didn't answer him and they said nothing for the rest of the ride. 

^^^

Dele was asleep beside Eric, or he tried to at least. Dele really couldn't sleep. Everything felt like shit. Harry was gone for 6 weeks and he to, everyone wanted to win a trophy but right now he didn’t see the way, it felt like when he had been banned from playing before. Eric began snoring and Dele sat up before getting out of bed and walking out in the house in boxers. He walked done into the kitchen and took a glass of water and leaned against the counter. He would have to come back really really quick, like lightning.   
Standing in only boxers were really cold and he went to the living room to get a hoodie to put on. Looking out at the garden, he saw the stars in a clear cold night and he went to the glass doors to look out. In the moonlight the garden looks almost enchanted, behind the bushes monsters could hide and on the grass fields elves could dance. 

Astrid was standing in a blanket on the terrass. Dele opened the door and went out to her. He expected a happy face and a fun comment but when she turned towards him her cheeks were wet and she looked tired, maybe the first time Dele had ever seen her like that. He opened his arms and pulled her in, ignoring the sting of cold against his bare legs. She noticed and put the blanket she had around her around him as well. 

“What’s going in Astrid?”  
Dele dried her cheeks with his hands and she took a shaking breath but avoided meeting his eyes. Dele pulled her closer holding her. He wondered what could had made her sad and he decided if he ever found out he would hurt that person. The next second he realized it could be him or Eric.

“Have we done anything?”

“What no, never.”  
She still didn’t look at him but by the way she shook her head, he believed her. 

“It’s not about your family situation either, if something there happens I would tell you directly.”  
Dele nodded as thanks and pulled her in tighter, she was an element in the never ending cold outside. 

“Is it about school?”  
To that she didn’t answer and he had his answer.

“Astrid, school isn’t everything.”  
She pulled away a bit.

“It’s not school.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s embarrassing and I just don’t know what to do.”  
She started to cry again and he pulled her close pressing his lips against her forehead.

“Astrid.”  
His voice was soft and it just seemed to make her more hesitant.

“It can’t be more embarrassing than forgetting to put on pants before going outside now!”  
She made a sound that sounded like she was judging him and he couldn’t help but smile into her skin, she pulled away a bit. 

“I slept with Jack.”  
Deles feeling went into a turmoil.

“And I just feel so… he put the entire night into helping me. I could not just go home and diss him after that.”  
She was looking at Dele as if she needed reassurance but he was to much in shock to be able to do that. 

“You slept with someone because you thought you owned it to the person.”

“Yes, in what other way could I repay him?”  
Dele opened his mouth but closed it again he really didn’t know what to say to that.

“It’s just I really really hate the feeling of that sort of sex afterwards and I just haven’t got it out of me yet, so really I’m just crying over nothing.”

“You didn’t even want to sleep with him?”  
Dele didn’t think he had ever heard something as stupid. 

“Why would I really want to sleep with anybody. It’s just a lot of panting and squeezing and honestly very disgusting.”  
Dele thought that was the first time he had ever heard someone say that about sex and he also understood that he might not be the best person for this conversation. 

”Well, for starters you should maybe not have sex with people you don’t want to sleep with. You know it's about the feelings either love or desire but still the feelings.”

”You sound like an old wise man.”

”I have had a lot of sex.”

”Yeah, me too, that doesn’t mean anything.”

“Do you ever feel desire.”  
She had stopped crying so talking worked. Maybe he was better at this than he thought.

“Yes…. This is a to odd conversation.”  
She pulled away a bit again and looked out over the garden. The moonlight lifted her features and she looked like magic.

“But then you have to find the problem. You can’t go around crying over having to have sex if you want to have sex.”

“I’m not crying over that exactly. I could just as easily be crying over making Jack believe there is something between us and then I have to crush his dreams and I just really don’t want to, it usually doesn’t go so well.”

“Well, that has to be done. Living in lies is never good.”

“Your the one to talk about living in lies!?”

“Stoop it, let's go back to the problem, we have to fix your sex desire. Living without sex is a horrid thought.”

“Dele there is actually a lot of people that never have sex and that’s not the problem. I do have sex, I just don’t enjoy is so much.”

“Then we have to fix that…”  
Focusing on something else than his own problems was helping the empty pit in his stomach, making it feel less. He thought about an actual solution and came up with the best he could:  
“…. lets sign up for a sex course.”!”

“A What?”

“A sex course, come on, it sounds fun. You, me and Eric learning to have better sex.”

“Are you sure you and Eric have to learn to do it better, you already do it quite a lot and quiet loudly.”

“Shut up, I mean sex as in SEX and that we have never done. So are you in, think about it as a learning chance.”  
Astrid didn’t look convinced but Dele was, so he convinced her to. Astrid still looked a bit special, though, when he pulled her inside. The warmth made his scinn tingle and he put his glass in the sink before following her up to her bedroom. He didn't want to go into bed with Eric at the moment and Astrid was sad so it was a perfect excuse. SHe gave him an odd look when he hid under her covers while she shut her computer off but didn't say anything. He wondered if she thought that this might be the real reason he wanted to have a sex course, the fact that he rather sleep in her bed than in his boyfriend. It wasn't the reason, Dele thought, no, it definitely wasn't the reason. Astrid crawled into bed and rolled atop him, laying on his chest, he put an arm around her. 

“Do you want to talk about to day, I did take al the spotlight before?”  
She asked against his hooded chest. 

“No.”   
He replied, looking up at the roof. 

“I think you need to talk about it, going to bed sad is very unhealthy, why do you think I was standing outside in this cold weather?”

“Shut up.”  
Eric would know not to ask, Dele thought and suddenly wanted to crawl down in his own bed again. She made an unreadable sound and shifted her head so that she was breathing into his neck instead. He tangled his fingers in her hair and pulled the cover up higher around them. 

“You will win something Dele, I'm sure of it.”  
She mumbled into his neck and he shifted a bit because the sensation tingled. 

“Let's hope so, but it's not likely.”

“I don't think you have studied statistic well enough to be able to say that.”

“Bully.”  
She giggled into his neck this time and Dele shifted his head to look down on her. She looked up at him, any trace of tears gone. He was a really good friend. 

“Sleep time, school tomorrow.”  
He whispered and she giggled some more saying that he sounded like her dad or her brain before actually hiding her face in his neck again and falling asleep.   
Dele looked up at the ceiling again, her breathing calmed him and despite the fact that the injury was taking up most of his mind he manage to fall asleep. 

^^^

“....so we are going to go to a sex course.”

“A What!?”  
Eric put the cup done and looked at him with his eyebrows so low his eyes were barely visual.

“A sex course, think of it like a late birthday present!”

“Thanks Del… you know that the entire internet went mad over the fact that you didn’t wish me happy birthday.”  
Dele shrugged and kept cleaning the dishes. Putting something online felt wrong, especially since he couldn’t say anything real and of matter anyways.

“A sex course, seriously?”

“Astrid has orgasm problems and need our help.”  
Dele whispered as if he was afraid Astrid would here him. Eric raised an eyebrow, he clearly didn’t think that was a reason for them to go with her.

“And I thought that it might help us, you know, about what to do to reach the next step.”

“Dele!”

“Okay, chill, but I have already paid for a six lessons so you have to come to them at least.”  
Eric was still contemplating his feelings about taking their sex life to the next step, that was clear, so he didn’t have the mind to refuse which meant he was saying yes. Dele was pleased. 

Astrid came down and smiled good morning at them, she was starting within three hours and Dele wondered if she was going to walk there since she was up so early. 

“I heard you took my man tonight.”

“Yes, he was a comfortable pillow, I might take him again soon.”

“Just wash him when you done.”

“Deal.”  
Dele gave them both a irritated face before sitting down beside Eric.   
“Maybe I get to decide whos pillow I am?”

“No”

“Forget it.”

“Bullied in my own home, what is this?!”

“Monday.”  
Astrid smiled and sat down opposite them. Her computer was starting while she ate a banana. Dele wondered if she was worried about seeing Jack today but he didn't want to ask with Eric there, she was sensitive about the subject, they ate the meal together but then went different ways, she taking the buss and they the car because they were late, as always. 

At the club he finally got a real assessment by the news was no chock. He would be out, for a garantiei until March. The recovery group had already a plan to start with and the rest of the day consisted of tears, blood and pain. 

^^^

“What are you making?”

“Scones.”

“I thought you had a test to study to.”

“I do, but I wanted to bake and we can watch the Chelsea game while eating.”  
Astrid had flour in her face and he wiped it of after washing his hands and they joined forced to stab the bred before putting it in the oven. 

“We won't win tonight.”  
Dele said it to her honest and she smiled a smile telling him she already knew before waving a hand at a wine bottle on the counter. 

“Eric will need that when he gets home.”

“Eric is stronger than you.”

“He is not!”

“Yes he is, I promise you that at the end of this evening you will be the one drunk person in this house.”  
Dele made a face at her, wondering if Eric was coming home tonight at all.

“So what's the test about?”  
“Ethnic and moral, it's really hard because you can never be sure you have the right answer and it's just very annoying.”  
She had started cleaning up and Dele helped her with it and when they were done the oven started making sounds and the game was starting. They manage to equalize but that meant penalties and Dele how had gotten hope for a second lost it when Eric missed his shot. Astrid was talking in her phone curled up into his side and that was the only thing keeping him from starting to weep like a baby, if he had been there, if he had been there this would not have been the outcome. 

“I'm going to get the wine!”  
Astrid waved at him to be quiet and he complained getting the biggest wine glass he could fined and filled it to the rim. 

^^^

Eric came home in the middle of the night, he was cold but Dele glued himself to him like an eagle anyways, Eric was, as Astrid had predicted, not so sorrow full as Eric and he kissed Deles forehead and told him that they were walking away from this, that they would win the next game and the next, Dele believed him. He fell asleep, for the first time after a loss, in a calm state, maybe because of the alcohol, maybe because of Eric.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I can´t update so offen I try to make the chapters contain more days, hope it isn´t to confusing!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, my first work here on this website. Kinda scary, english is nt my mother tounge so excuse me for al the millions of errors you will find and hopfully you will enjoy the story.


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